Stories from the 2nd Hunger Games
by Elizabeth Prower
Summary: After a successful first year of entertainment for the Capitol and upset for the districts, the Hunger Games are back for its second year, featuring a unique cast of mismatched tributes. From the snobby siblings from District 1 to the Peacekeeper's illegitimate son from District 8, each tribute has their own story to be told throughout the Games.
1. Chapter 1

Introduction:

Hello people of the Hunger Games fanfic board! 8D This is just a tiny writing project I'm working on for fun, but thanks for clicking on this story. As you can see, there's no form to fill out. That's because this is not a SYOT, and all of the characters (big or small) have been created by me. But I hope you read and enjoy the fanfic anyway!

Now, on with the fanfic.

**Stories from the 2****nd**** Hunger Games**

Chapter 1: The Reaping, Part 1

_~District 1~_

It was that time of year again: Reaping Day. The citizens of District 1, along with the citizens in the other eleven districts gathered in their town square, waiting for their district's mayor and escort to arrive onto the stage to begin the proceedings.

"Like, omigod, would they just _hurry up_?" a blonde girl with blue eyes whined in a valley girl's accent as she stood around with the other seventeen-year-olds. "Like, this is so dull and boring! I'd rather be shopping or like, getting my nails done!" While the girl continued her mindless ranting, District 1's escort, Whitney Vincent, walked onto the stage and approached the two glass balls, each containing the names of the boys and girls (separate, of course) eligible to compete in the Hunger Games.

"Alright, let the reaping begin!" Whitney announced, to some applause. "Ladies first!" The Capitol woman stuck her perfectly manicured hand into the glass ball on the left and dug around in it for a moment, before extracting a tiny slip of paper. The town square was so silent that the crinkling of the paper unfolding could be picked up by microphone as Whitney called out a name.

"Diamond Tiara!"

"And like, I just want to-whaaat?" the blonde girl finally fell speechless as all eyes fell to her. "Like, what?" Diamond's jaw hung open while Whitney scanned the crowd in search of District 1's new female tribute. Diamond could see her fifteen-year-old brother, Silver, smirking at her from the cluster of kids several yards away from her.

"You've just been reaped," Silver said, rolling his eyes. "Get your ass up there, idiot."

"Screw you, Silver!" Diamond yelled, angrily shaking her fist at him before she started heading for the stage. She passed thousands upon thousands of people before finally ascending to the stage. "Ugh, like, whatever!"

"Well okay then!" Whitney continued, relieved that Diamond finally made it onto the stage. "Now, over to the boys!" With that, Whitney dipped her hand into the second glass ball and pulled out another piece of paper. "Oh…oh my God…" the escort trailed, staring at the paper in shock upon opening it, while the crowd waited in suspense.

"Silver Tiara!"

Now it was Silver's turn to be stared at. He was equally shocked as his sister, and he actually had to be nudged by a boy behind him to prompt him to approach the stage. Diamond smirked and stuck her tongue out at Silver when he did get up onstage.

"Oh my, what do we have here?" Whitney commented, glancing from Diamond to Silver. "A brother and sister going into the Games together! What are the odds?" Silver shrugged while he locked eyes with Diamond, while Whitney added, "Any volunteers?" The town square remained quiet. "Well alright then," Whitney said. "Ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. Our tributes from District 1!" The national anthem signaled the end of the reaping for the district, so Whitney turned and ushered Diamond and Silver into the Justice Building.

_~District 2~_

Murmurs ran through the crowd in District 2 as the country's national anthem sounded. A short, plump man from the Capitol named Randall Templesmith stepped up to the microphone and glass balls holding the names of potential tributes. District 2's mayor, a tall, slender woman, and District 2's mentor and victor of the first Hunger Games, a short but slightly muscular teenager, stood behind him.

"Hello, District 2!" the escort's voice boomed into the microphone and echoed throughout the town square. "You all know the drill. It's time to pick our tributes!" Most of the chatter in the crowd stopped while a name was drawn from the first glass ball. The Capitol man held the slip of paper in his powdered hands and paused, intentionally giving off a moment of suspense, before announcing the name.

"Regan Speare!"

Everyone turned their heads towards the pack of seventeen-year-olds, fixing their eyes on a petite, brunette girl with green eyes. The girl said nothing, only staring straight ahead as she patted down her forest green sundress as she walked through the crowd to walk onstage. Her new mentor grinned and brought her in for a hug while Randall perused the glass ball filled with the boys' names.

"Regan! Hey girl!" the mentor greeted, beaming with pride. "This is going to be so awesome mentoring you! You're going to win for sure!"

"Hey Viola," Regan responded, returning the smile after being expressionless upon being reaped. "Thanks." The girls stopped and turned to Randall, just in time to hear the name of the male tribute.

"Caius Kent!"

Regan let out a small gasp as she watched the ex-boyfriend that she was still in love with, another seventeen-year-old with light brown hair and blue eyes, as he emerged from the crowd before joining her onstage. Worry flashed across Caius's face, but he kept it together for the sake of looking decent in front of the people of District 2. Regan smiled with admiration at Caius's reaping outfit, a white blouse with light blue corduroy jeans made to look like dress pants, and white dress shoes. Regan's mind was buzzing with thoughts as she exchanged glances with Caius. _Awesome! Now I can spend some time with Caius! Oh, we're going to have so much fun before the Games begin! And then maybe we can be allies in the arena! This will be great! _Regan's thoughts trailed off as their escort patted both her's and Caius's shoulders.

"Yes, I know you two will be in good hands with Miss Duke over here as your mentor," Randall said, giving a friendly gesture to Viola. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" Regan turned to smile at Caius, who gave an awkward but friendly smile back. Their faces were projected on the giant television screens surrounding the stage momentarily, before they turned and headed inside the Justice Building. Their families entered the Justice Building shortly after to say goodbye to their kids, while the rest of the crowd scattered.

_~District 3~_

The children of District 3 arrived at the town square and filed into clusters of their respective age groups, while the mayor, the escort, and a few other people from the Capitol walked up the tiny steps that led to the stage. The people onstage greeted each other with handshakes and salutations, while those in the crowd glanced at one another with uncertainty. There was a slight tension in District 3, as opposed to the calmer atmosphere in Districts 1 and 2. The anthem played, as it was in every district, drowning out most of the chatter among them. Finally, the anthem slowly died down, as the escort took their spot in front of the two glass balls. Starting with the glass ball containing the girls' names, the escort plunges their hand towards the bottom of the ball, with some of the slips of paper flying around as the escort swiftly pulls their hand back out, holding one paper. They clear their throat while unfolding the paper, and soon the female tribute from District 3 is revealed.

"Aimee Cornwell!"

The crowd remained silent, so silent that crickets could be heard chirping in the background as a tiny, skinny girl stepped out of the fourteen-year-old section and made her way onto the stage. She was so short that almost nobody could see her until she was finally standing next to the escort in front of the microphone. She had a frightened look in her eyes, but she remained calm as she smiled weakly for the crowd. She then turned towards the escort, just in time to hear the name of her district partner, the male tribute.

"Oliver Claude!"

A group of thirteen-year-old boys turned to another boy in their group, who just gulped as his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He was standing completely still, frozen by shock. He could feel all eyes on him when he finally regained movement in his limbs, allowing him to gently push through the crowd to join Aimee and the others onstage. Oliver was so terrified that he couldn't be bothered to hide it, and the rest of the crowd saw it. They knew he was pretty much a goner.

"Do we have any volunteers?" the escort asks, temporarily breaking the silence. Only that question left more silence. "Well, that answers my question. Ladies and gentlemen, our District 3 tributes!" Minus a few faint claps towards the back of the crowd, anyone could practically hear a pin drop because of the crowd's utter stillness. Slightly embarrassed, the escort sheepishly scratched their head before turning and leading Aimee and Oliver into the Justice Building. The escort went on ahead, but Aimee and Oliver paused to turn and take one last glance at District 3. Aimee gives a small wave to her friends who were lingering in the crowd, before the two disappeared inside the Justice Building. The Panem anthem starts up again, and Peacekeepers are ushering away citizens who are still hanging around the area.

_~District 4~_

"Hello, District 4!"

The waves of the ocean crashed along the shore behind the Justice Building of District 4 as the sun beat down on the citizens. District 4's escort, a short Capitol woman with blue hair, blue eyes, and skin almost white as snow, stood on the stage before the citizens. She was dressed in a royal blue, frilly, sequined dress that barely grazed her knees, complete with blue six inch heels, silver dangling earrings, and silver bracelets high up her arms. The microphone picked up small _clink_s as her bracelets clanged against each other while her arm reached into the first glass ball, the girls'. Everyone was leaning forward with anticipation, some excited, and others nervous. Everyone held their breath as the female tribute was announced.

"Emmaline Lyons!"

Everyone turned their heads and watched as a lightly tan fourteen-year-old with brown hair and almond eyes stepped out of the crowd and approached the stage. She was patting down her sky blue blouse, matched with her white skirt and wedge heels, as she took her spot next to the escort, who was already rummaging through the boys' glass ball. Emmaline could see the name on the slip of paper as the escort read it out.

"Cedric Kenner!"

Two clusters of people stepped to the side, clearing a path for a rather nerdy-looking boy who was huddled with the group of thirteen-year-olds. Shaking with nerves, the boy pushes his thick, black, rectangular glasses up as he slowly walks through the crowd. He is about halfway to the stage when another boy, tan and twice the size of the first boy, charges from the pack of eighteen-year-olds and darts through the crowd. This boy shoves the smaller kid out of the way before leaping onto the stage, now standing alongside the escort.

"Why hello there! What's your name?" the escort asked, smiling at the boy.

"Cyrus Slash," the boy answered, returning the grin along with a toss of his dark hair. "By the way, I volunteer." The original chosen tribute sighed with relief and ran back into the crowd.

"Well great! We're always looking to see volunteers for the Games," the escort responded, patting Cyrus on the shoulder, while her other arm rested on Emmaline's shoulder. The escort paused for a moment to see if any girls would volunteer, before continuing, "Ladies and gentlemen, our District 4 tributes!" The escort was met with mostly silence with some applause from the older groups of people. Cyrus smiled at the crowd and gave a small bow, while Emmaline awkwardly waved to a few people in the front of the crowd. The escort was eyeing the tributes, seeming to admire their choice of attire for the reaping. Cyrus's dark hair and skin seemed to clash with his bright orange polo, worn with tan khakis and sandals. Emmaline clearly took a more formal approach to the reaping with her clothes than Cyrus. The anthem soon drowned out the applause as Cyrus and Emmaline turned and followed their escort into the Justice Building.

_~District 5~_

"Oh, goody! My first reaping in a fancier district!"

A fairly young Capitol woman, tall in her electric blue heels, stands on the stage of District 5's town square dressed in a metallic black dress with her platinum blonde hair neatly pinned back in a bun. Her face was layered with pounds of makeup, complete with fake blue eyelashes and bright blue lipstick. Her name was Sheila Flickerman, and she was back for her second Hunger Games reaping as an escort. She started off small last year as the escort for the tributes from District 11, but after both tributes made it to the final eight, and one even to the final four, Sheila was rewarded for their success by being promoted to District 5, just short of the Career districts. Eager to get things started for the year, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the anthem to start. She grinned with anticipation minutes later after the anthem had played and the tape about the Dark Days and the start of the Hunger Games was finished, and she gracefully stepped up in front of the two glass balls.

"Alright, ladies first!" Sheila chimed, flashing another smile at the crowd as her hand, with perfectly painted blue nails, plunged into the first glass ball. The pink tint of the glass glistened in the sunlight as Sheila pulled out a slip of paper from the very top of the pile. The name of the female tribute.

"Kelilyn Light!"

Sheila's eyes followed those of the crowd's as a gap opened in the section of twelve-year-olds. One girl stepped forward, her face completely blank. Not from fear, just out of confusion. The girl casually ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair as she left her section to make her way onto the stage. She was of average height, but she looked like a midget standing next to Sheila, who was nearing six feet tall in her super high heels.

"Go Kelilyn!" a voice shouted from the crowd. Kelilyn gave an awkward smile and a quick wave in the direction the voice came from. Sheila chuckled before sinking her hand into the glass ball with blue tint.

"Alright, now over to the boys!" Sheila announced while searching through the slips of paper, before extracting one from near the bottom. She paused to brush a loose strand of hair off her face before opening the slip of paper that would determine the fates of the young boys of District 5.

"Ivan Nukes!"

The designated spot for the fifteen-year-olds was towards the front of the crowd, so the crowd only had to wait a few seconds before the chosen tribute walked onto the stage. He was tall for his age, almost as taller than Sheila. He had ginger colored hair, which stood out from his light brown eyes and freckles. Ivan gave a quick nod to Sheila and Kelilyn as he took his place next to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the tributes of District 5!" Sheila announced, still smiling.

_~District 6~_

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the reaping for the 2nd Annual Hunger Games!" the escort, an average sized Capitol man announced. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" The escort watched as the last hundred children signed in and made their way to their respective age groups, with the national anthem booming throughout the town square. "My name is Marco Crane and I will be the escort for District 6 and your master of ceremonies this afternoon!" The escort continued to smile despite being met with silence. "Alright, let's get started!" he continued, starting to rummage through one glass ball. "Starting with the girls!" As he said this, he plucked a piece of paper out of the glass ball and opened it up to read it.

"Lucille Bellevue!"

There was more silent. The crowd didn't even bother to turn around and look for the female tribute. Instead the crowd either glanced up at the sky or stared straight ahead as they waited for the girl to appear onstage. There was some rustling as the girl gently nudged past people or others stepped aside, allowing the girl to get through the crowd until she met the escort onstage. The escort shook hands with Lucille as the crowd scrutinized her in the continuing silence. Lucille looked to be about fourteen judging from her average height. She was slightly pale, with light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and blue-green eyes that complemented her light green blouse, blue pencil skirt, and blue and green sandals.

"So, how do you feel about representing District 6 in the 2nd Hunger Games?" Marco asked, practically shoving the microphone in Lucille's face. Lucille slowly leaned in to speak into the microphone.

"Good," she mumbled.

"That's great, Lucille!" Marco exclaimed, pulling the microphone away and reaching into the second glass ball. "Now for the boys!" Lucille and the rest of the crowd watched as the escort swiftly pulled out another slip of paper. He opened the paper and studied it for a second, before revealing the name written on it.

"James Rhodes!"

The crowd did the same thing, doing nothing until they could see this year's male tribute standing onstage. Some could see him emerging from the pack of sixteen-year-olds and head to the stage from there. He looked like a fighter; he was tall and muscular, with green eyes that were lit up by fire. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair as he stood next to Lucille. Lucille glanced over at him for a look at his outfit: a cream colored blouse, blue corduroy jeans, and white dress shoes.

"Now how do you feel about going into the Hunger Games?" the escort asked, turning his attention to James and poking the microphone at him. "Do you feel good?"

"Yeah," James said with a nod. "Pretty good." The escort motioned for Lucille and James to shake hands before turning back towards the crowd.

"Well, there we have it, District 6!" Marco announced. "Our new tributes!"

* * *

The next chapter will be the reapings for Districts 7-12, and then on to the Capitol from there. That should be up hopefully by next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Reaping, Part 2

_~District 7~_

Escort Minka Kelsen stepped onto the stage to greet the mayor of District 7 and a few prominent people from both the district and the Capitol. The anthem rang in their ears as Minka patted down her satin, puffy purple dress and turned and gazed out into the crowd, watching eligible children check in, with their parents and younger siblings trailing behind them, nervous for their loved ones.

"Come on, Bettina! We're going to be late!" Minka heard a voice call out.

"Coming!" she heard another voice reply. Minka noticed a strand of red hair out of place and cursed her luck. Once everyone checked in and was in place, the anthem shortly faded to a stop and Minka opened her mouth to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the reaping for the 2nd Annual Hunger Games!" Minka announced, her voice booming from the sound system wired on the stage and connected to the microphone. "We are now going to choose which boy and girl will represent District 7 in this year's Hunger Games." Minka ignored the crowd's quietness and stuck her hand into one of the glass ball. "We'll start with the girls." Minka used her hand to shuffle the slips of paper, as if they were a deck of cards, before pulling one paper out. The crowd waited in lackluster suspense as Minka quickly opened the paper and read the name on it.

"Bettina Wilde!"

There was a gasp in the crowd, and it came from the girl who was walking through the crowd, heading towards the stage.

"Me?" Bettina cried while she was stepping onto the stage. "My name was only in there twice because I didn't take any tessarae! It can't be me!"

"But it is," Minka responded, waving the slip of paper in front of Bettina. "The odds can't always be in your favor, even if you think they are." Bettina remained silent as Minka turned back to the glass balls and reached into the one containing the boys' names. She quickly pulled out the first slip of paper that poked out of the ball and opened it to read it. Bettina leaned over Minka's shoulder to see the name, right as Minka said it.

"Jack Forrest!"

Bettina scanned the crowd until she saw Jack, one of her friends from school, nudge his way through the pack of fourteen-year-olds and walk around the crowd to make his way to the stage.

"Hey Bettina. Fancy meeting you here," Jack said with a chuckle as he stood at her side.

"Hey," Bettina replied, smiling sheepishly and quickly waving to him.

"Any volunteers?" Minka asked the crowd. There was no answer. "No? Well alright then! District 7, these are your new tributes!" Minka then turned to Bettina and Jack, and they took it as their cue to shake hands. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" Bettina and Jack nodded as they turned to follow Minka inside the Justice Building, with the anthem playing them out.

_~District 8~_

A sixteen-year-old boy hurried over to the other kids his age after checking in with the Peacekeepers. He mostly blended in with the crowd, but there were parts of his appearance that stood out among everyone else, such as his jet black hair, jade green eyes, and the zigzagged scar on his left cheek. Not to mention, he towered above most of the crowd at six feet, two inches. He was dressed in a blue oxford shirt, black dress pants, and shoes, similar to the other boys in District 8. He met up with his girlfriend, a petite blonde named Roxanne, and brought her in for a hug, while glancing behind him at the Peacekeepers while they continued to check in and take blood from prospective tributes. He started to drift off in thought, when a voice with a Capitol accent boomed across the town square.

"Hello everyone! It's time for the reaping for the 2nd Annual Hunger Games!" chimed the escort, a slightly pudgy Capitol woman with orange hair that looked like flames adorning her head. "First up are the girls!" With that, an orange-skinned hand dove into the first glass ball and dug through it. Her hair was entirely covered by paper until one slip was eventually extracted from the ball, and the escort had the slip opened in an instant.

"Ariani Woolf!"

A fourteen-year-old girl could feel all eyes on her as she started walking towards the stage. Her face was completely blank from lack of emotion, and her face remained that way as the escort greeted her onstage.

"Now Ariani, are you ready for the Hunger Games?" the escort asked, a cheesy grin plastered on her face as she addresses the female tribute. Ariani didn't answer, only staring at the escort stoically. "O…kay then. Well, now we'll move onto the boys!" The escort turned and reached her hand into the other glass ball and drew out a name.

"Darien Shinoko!"

Roxanne turned and stared at her boyfriend in horror, before the two hugged again. Roxanne tried to latch onto him, but he could see Peacekeepers heading their way, so he forced himself to let go of her and walk up to the stage. He and Ariani gave a quick nod to each other as he passed her to stand on the other side of the escort.

"Alright, I probably already know the answer to this, but do we have any volunteers?" the escort asked, scanning the faces of the crowd. They stared at her expressionless and without response. "I thought so. Alright then, ladies and gentlemen, we have our District 8 tributes! Go on, you two, shake hands." The escort turned and gave Darien and Ariani each a quick nudge, and the two shook hands while the anthem started up again. Darien turned and managed to have one last glance at the crowd, more importantly, his girlfriend, before the escort whisked him and Ariani away into the Justice Building. He had to find a way out of this.

_~District 9~_

A twelve-year-old girl shuddered in fear as she huddled with her two best friends in the midst of the twelve-year-old crowd, as they and everyone else looked up at the escort, Karine Levotts. Karine was a short but stocky Capitol woman, dressed in an elegant white suit and white, Capitol-designed boots. Her curly pink hair rested on her shoulders, and her green eyes were illuminated by her overdose of silver eye shadow and the rest of her excessive makeup. As much as she liked the outfit, the girl was too nervous to fully admire it, and she could feel her stomach drop when Karine began to speak.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Karine exclaimed, smiling and waving to the crowd, and getting little to no response from them. "Now, let's find out which of our lovely boys and girls will be representing District 9 in this year's Games. Ladies first!" Hearts pounded as Karine reached into a glass ball and daintily pulled out a slip of paper. The paper dangled in between her fingertips, nearly dropping to the ground as Karine opened the slip of paper and read it.

"Lita Reed!"

The young girl sighed with relief as she and her friends peered over at an eighteen-year-old girl who started making her way to the stage. She was beautiful, with her brown hair flowing behind her in the wind and her hazel eyes catching a ray of the sun. Her floral blouse, paired with white capris and white ballet flats, popped on her olive skin. The twelve-year-old felt a pang of sadness. It was a shame to see a pretty girl be sent into the Games. At least she herself was safe for the year though.

"Ah, so you must be Lita!" the escort greeted Lita once she made it onto the stage.

"Yeah, that's me," Lita responded, giving a small smile before staring down at the crowd.

"Alright, now let's pick our male tribute!" the escort continued, placing her hand into the second glass ball and using her hand to shuffle the slips of paper before taking out one of them. The escort fumbled around with the paper for a moment before opening it and announcing the name written on it.

"Felix Rice!"

A fifteen-year-old boy stood there, frozen in shock. Everyone was staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to get up onstage. Instead, the boy pushes through the crowd and starts to run in the opposite direction, when he sees a row of Peacekeepers lining the crowd, blocking his way and any possible chance of escape. Turning back around, Felix gulped and ignored everyone's gazes as he walked onstage.

"There you are, Felix!" the escort said to him when she saw him. Felix was too scared to speak, so he just quietly stood next to Lita. They quickly shook hands before turning back to the escort.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your District 9 tributes!" the escort exclaimed.

_~District 10~_

A Capitol woman of medium height nervously stood onstage with the mayor of District 10 and a few Peacekeepers. Her makeup, lighter than the average Capitol citizen, made her look younger, though her poufy yellow dress and big, curly, purple hair that was styled like an 80s perm made her look twice the size she really was. The woman took a deep breath as she watched the children of District 10 be herded like cattle by the Peacekeepers to check in and take their spots within their age groups. Her name was Susana VonSchuitts, and it was her very first year as an escort for the Hunger Games. Of course, being a newbie, she was assigned one of the poorer districts, but she didn't mind. She was just excited to do this. She saw the Games last year, and between what she saw and what her friend, Sheila Flickerman, told her, being an escort sounded like a great job, so she applied for it right away. She was interviewed shortly after, and she was even lucky enough to be hired on the same day (she figured she got it because her father is a Gamemaker, but she didn't care - she was happy to get the job). Susana's heels clomped on the wooden boards of the stage as she stepped up to speak into the microphone.

"Hello, District 10!" she greeted warmly, smiling at the crowd. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" A few Peacekeepers quietly clapped behind Susana, and that was the only reaction she got, but she still continued. "We are here today to determine which young man and woman will represent District 10 in this year's Hunger Games. We'll start with the boys!" Susana looked down at the two glass balls on a wooden table in front of her, and she dipped her hand into the first one. She decided at random to choose a slip of paper that was pushed up against the edge of the glass, and she quickly opened it to read the name on it.

"Aeris Hart!"

There was an awkward silence, as the District 10 girls glanced at each other, before Susana noticed a girl around twelve starting towards the stage.

"Oops! I must have picked from the girls by mistake!" Susana said to the crowd, laughing sheepishly. "My mistake! Oh well, come on up, Aeris!" Susana turned and noticed Aeris already ascending to the stage. "Alright, now we'll pick from the boys!" Susana gently nudged the girls' glass ball aside and reached into the one for the boys. The crowd only had to wait for a few seconds before Susana was holding the name of the male tribute.

"Murphy Stock!"

Susana and Aeris could see some people in the crowd shuffling and shifting over, allowing a boy fronting the fifteen-year-old pack to pass through. The boy hurried over to the stage and walked towards Susana and Aeris before shaking hands with Aeris.

"Our District 10 tributes!" Susana announced.

_~District 11~_

After spending a few hours in the morning working the fields, the people of District 11 are summoned by Peacekeepers to come to the town square for the reaping. The people follow the Peacekeepers and surround the Justice Building, with the adults and younger children standing off to the side of the building while the eligible children check in and get together in smaller clusters according to their age group. A single mother no older than thirty was holding two small girls who looked around three years old with a boy and girl no older than seven hanging onto each of her legs. She looked on at her older daughter starting to disappear into the crowd. It was her eldest daughter's first reaping, and the mother was as terrified as any other parent. Her daughter's name should have only been in there once, but the family constantly struggled with making ends meet, so the girl had to take out tessarae to support the family of six. The girl ran an olive skinned hand through her black hair when her purple eyes locked with her mother's. Their eyes expressed turmoil and sadness, but they kept their emotions under control in order to stay strong for themselves and each other. The mother and daughter then turned their heads towards the stage as the escort, a middle-aged Capitol woman wearing way too much eyeliner, began tapping the microphone.

"Hello there!" the escort chimed obnoxiously. "Let's get started with the reaping! First off will be the girls!" With that, the escort hurriedly reached into the first glass ball and started pulling out a slip of paper. She noticed that there was another slip hanging off the one she had picked, so she pulled them apart and dropped the second one back in before unfolding the first one. Everyone held their breath as the escort leaned into the microphone to announce District 11's female tribute.

"Naoko Chan!"

The mother's heart sank, while the daughter's flat-out dropped down into her gut. She turned to give a quick, helpless smile to her mother before she began heading towards the stage. Along the way she smiled and awkwardly waved at people who were staring, before finally walking up the steps onto the stage. Once the escort saw Naoko next to her onstage, her hand began inching into the other glass ball.

"Now onto the boys!" the escort quickly added while her hand sunk into the midst of the white slips. She soon pulled one out from the very bottom and carefully opened it, reading the name to herself before announcing it to the crowd.

"Grant Fields!"

A gap soon opened in the group of sixteen-year-olds, and a tall, dark, muscular boy stepped out and began his walk to the stage. Upon arriving on the stage, he greeted Naoko and shook hands with her.

"District 11, here are your tributes!" the escort exclaimed, gesturing to Naoko and Grant. The escort then turned and led Naoko and Grant into the Justice Building.

_~District 12~_

Mayor Wood said goodbye to his daughter as she was leaving to check in with the Peacekeepers, before turning and shaking hands with the escort and a Panem government official. The Panem national anthem blared through the giant speakers hooked up onstage as the citizens of District 12 filed into the town square and gathered in front of the Justice Building. Once everyone was situated where they were supposed to be, and anthem faded away, they began to roll the tape about the rebellion, the Dark Days, and the establishment of the Hunger Games. Some people groaned, others stared at the television screen while daydreaming, and others even drifted off to sleep, resting their head on the shoulder of the person next to them. However, the latter managed to wake up right as the tape ended, and the escort was burying her hand into the slips of paper inside a glass ball. The escort nearly knocked the glass ball off the table as she hastily plucked a slip of paper out. Everyone was watching and waiting as the escort opened the slip of paper and announced the name while reading it.

"Rosemary Wood!"

Mayor Wood had also let his mind wander off during the clips from the Dark Days, but his eyes widened as he snapped back to reality upon hearing his daughter's name. He hurried over to the escort as Rosemary was stepping onto the stage.

"There has to be some mistake. She's my daughter," Mayor Wood said, almost pleadingly, to the escort.

"Nope! No mistake!" the escort replied, holding out the slip of paper for him to see for himself. Mayor Wood examined the dreaded slip of paper, before painfully looking to Rosemary, dressed in a satin blue dress and white wedge heels with her wavy brown hair tied into a side ponytail, adorned with a blue ribbon that matched her eyes. Rosemary returned the aggrieved expression while the escort was extracting another slip of paper from the second glass ball. The two turned their attention back to the escort, just in time to hear the name of the male tribute.

"Hamish Rembrandt!"

After some shuffling and nudging within the crowd, Rosemary turned around to see one of her fellow sixteen-year-olds walking up the stage towards her and the escort. He looked neat and tidy in a black blouse, green tie, black dress pants and shoes, but his sandy blonde hair was a tousled mess. Hamish eagerly took Rosemary's hand and shook it, before Rosemary turned back towards her dad.

"Do we have any volunteers?" the escort asked the crowd. The crowd remained quiet, with a few people shaking their heads. "Well then, District 12, here are your tributes!" More silence, not even so much as one clap, but instead the citizens gave the District 12 goodbye salute, pressing their three middle fingers to their lips and holding them out, in unison. The escort shrugged and began leading Rosemary and Hamish into the Justice Building, with Mayor Wood following close behind.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. Credit to the series goes to Suzanne Collins. (but you already know that)

Chapter 3: Goodbyes, Train Rides, and a Glimpse of the Head Gamemaker

Diamond and Silver were waiting inside a fancy sitting room within the Justice Building. The Peacekeepers figured they may as well put them in the same room since they were siblings, so there they were, seated together on a red plush couch, surrounded by a peace plush carpet and white walls. The room was mostly bare, with only a marble table next to the couch and an ornate mirror on the wall, plus a window behind the couch. Diamond and Silver were bickering back and forth about absolutely nothing, when they received their first visitors: their parents. They rushed in and quickly embraced their children, with their mother hugging Diamond and their father hugging Silver.

"Oh, Diamond, Silver!" their mother cried. "This is a disaster! I can't believe we're going through this! Especially after your sister, Rhinestone…" Diamond and Silver nodded, now thinking of their fourteen-year-old sister, Rhinestone, who was reaped in the Hunger Games last year. She had killed two tributes, the boy from 3 and the girl from 10, and almost made it out of the Cornucopia before the girl from 5 threw an axe into her back, killing her right before the bloodbath ended. The family was devastated, and the household was tense for weeks due to their parents' extreme depression. The mother especially was heartbroken all over again. She had already lost one child, and she would most likely lose two more. Their father gently pulled Silver aside, while their mother pulled off her diamond ring and handed it to Diamond for her to wear as her token in the arena.

"Now Silver," their father began sternly. "You can do this. Don't let yourself think otherwise. I know that your sister won't be much of a contender-"

"Hey!" Diamond exclaimed, shooting daggers at her dad, who waved it off and kept his eyes on Silver.

"But I have faith in you. I will be betting on you," their father continued, patting Silver's shoulder. "You can very well win this thing, so do it."

"Alright, I will dad," Silver replied with a nod. "Thanks." Silver watched as his father then pulled out a shiny, silver pin and pinned it on his white blouse.

"Now, this," his father said, as he secured the pin to Silver's designer shirt. "I want you to wear this as your token. It's a priceless family heirloom that traces back several generations." Silver nodded again and responded with another "Thanks", when two Peacekeepers came in to lead the Tiara parents out of the room. The door was about to close behind them, when Silver's girlfriend (one of them, anyway - Silver isn't exactly a one-woman man), Glitter, rushes in and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Oh, Silver!" Glitter cried, clinging onto Silver. "I can't believe you're going into the Games! But I know you'll be great, so you'll win for sure."

"Thanks, Glitter," Silver responded with a grin, before the two began making out. Their kissing lasted for several minutes, before Peacekeepers showed up and Glitter followed them out. Their next visitor was Sparkle, another of Silver's girlfriends, and she didn't even say anything. She just latched onto Silver and started kissing him. Several minutes in, they break apart for air, but the Peacekeepers come for Sparkle before they can continue. They roughly escort Sparkle out, and the door slams shut behind them.

"Exactly how many girlfriends do you have?" Diamond asked Silver, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's see…I have…" Silver trailed while counting on his fingers. "…Seventeen girlfriends." Diamond snorted and rolled her eyes, while Silver smirked and shrugged.

* * *

Rosemary paced the floor nervously, her palms shaking and a bead of sweat sliding down the side of her head. She heard the creak of the door and whipped her head around, right as Mayor Wood walked. Without any words, Rosemary ran over and hugged her dad, her eyes watering.

"Rigged," Mayor Wood mused as they broke the hug. "I swear they rigged it. They rigged it because they know you're the only one who can succeed me after I retire from being mayor so that they can elect someone else, someone who's in with the Capitol."

"Dad…it's okay," Rosemary lied, looking down at the floor. "It happens."

"No, it's not okay," Mayor Wood continued, putting his head in his hand. "You're my only child. You're the only successor I could want. I have spent years teaching you and preparing you for the day that I would step down from my position and you would take my place, but all of that is down the drain because they're sending you into the Games."

"Despite the possibility, I didn't expect this to happen," Rosemary responded, running a hand through her brown hair. "I'm still in shock from it, and I wish it wasn't happening, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Rosemary, I know the chances are slim, but I need you to do something for me," Mayor Wood said to his daughter. "You have to fight hard. I need you to win so you can come home."

"I'll do my best," Rosemary replied, waving to her father as Peacekeepers burst in and dragged him out. The door quickly closed behind them, but was opened a few seconds later as Priscilla, Rosemary's best friend, entered the room.

"Rosemary!" Priscilla cried, nearly tackling Rosemary to the ground as she wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Hey Priscilla," Rosemary replied, half-choking from her friend's tight grip. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too!" Priscilla responded, hugging Rosemary tighter. "But I have hope that you'll return home."

"Thanks," Rosemary said, slowly breaking away from the hug. "And thanks for coming to visit me."

"Of course, Rosemary!" Priscilla replied, when she turned around and saw a Peacekeeper opening the door. "Good luck!"

"Thanks Priscilla," Rosemary responded while the Peacekeepers were motioning for Priscilla to leave. "Take care."

"You too, Rosemary!" Priscilla chimed before the door shut behind her. Rosemary was alone once again, but not for long, as the door opened again, revealing Rosemary's former teacher, Ms. Hawkins. Rosemary smiled at her presence as the older woman brought her in for a hug.

"Oh, Rosemary, you were always one of my favorite students," Ms. Hawkins said while blinking back tears. "It breaks my heart to see you going into these Games. Do you have a token to wear?"

"Yeah," Rosemary answered, pulling out a gold mockingjay necklace.

"Good, good," Ms. Hawkins said, admiring the mockingjay hanging from the gold chain. "It's lovely." Rosemary and Ms. Hawkins could hear the footsteps of the Peacekeepers pounding down the hall, so they quickly hugged each other again. "Goodbye, Rosemary," Ms. Hawkins continued, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "And best of luck."

"Thank you, Ms. Hawkins," Rosemary replied, waving to her as she was being nudged out the door by the Peacekeepers, before letting out a heavy sigh when the door closed again. Ms. Hawkins ended up being her last visitor, so she waited in solitude until the Peacekeepers came for her a half hour later. They circled her as they led her and Hamish out of the Justice Building and to the train station.

* * *

"So Regan, did you see Coach Carl at the reaping today?"

"I did, omigod his facial expression was so funny! It was just like last year!"

Caius sighed in agitation. As much as he tried, he could only tune out a fraction of the loud conversation Regan and Viola were having. Their topics of choice ranged from reminiscing about last year's Games to joking around about their Coach Carl, their trainer at the Career Academy, to gushing over the huge sale their favorite boutique in the district had the other day. They were way too loud for his pleasure, as their voices boomed throughout the train. It irked him how obnoxious they were; it was part of the reason why his relationship with Regan didn't work out and he chose to end it. They chattered on and on for almost an hour, when Caius finally spoke up, sounding more harsh than he intended.

"So…are you going to give us any advice at all for when we're in the arena?" Caius asked Viola. She blinked a few times, before her eyes flashed with remembrance.

"Oh, yes, of course," Viola answered, taking a moment to clear her throat before continuing, "You guys are Careers and all, but my help won't hurt." Viola paused again to collect her thoughts of what she planned to say, while Regan and Caius looked to her expectantly. "Anyway, when the bloodbath starts, head for the inside of the Cornucopia. That's where the best weapons are. Get a weapon, and then just turn around and attack full force. The bloodbath is the time when you're going to have the most energy you'll ever have in the arena, before you start being worn down by injuries and fatigue. Attack at the bloodbath, and take out as many tributes as you can before everyone starts running. That way, there will be fewer opponents to face later on when the arena takes its tolls on you." Regan and Caius nodded in understanding as they listened intently. "But be careful. Always look over your shoulder every second that you can," Viola continued. "The last thing you want is a tribute to sneak up on you and get a lucky shot at you. You saw that happen to the guy from 4 last year. He ended up with a huge gash in his back, and he died from that injury just short of being one of the final ten tributes." Viola's two tributes nodded again, Regan seeming to enjoy hearing these tidbits from her best friend and mentor.

"Viola, you were so awesome in the Games last year," Regan gushed. "When you roundhouse kicked and stabbed that guy from 11…oh my gosh, it was so epic."

"Thanks," Viola replied, beaming with pride. "It was pretty awesome. Especially considering he was huge! I actually thought he was going to take me down, so hearing his cannon go off and me being announced the victor was a huge shock to me." Caius turned around just as their escort, Randall, sauntered into the room, his footsteps pounding on the green carpet due to his weight.

"Hello, hello, children," Randall chimed in his obnoxious Capitol accent. "We can finally watch a recap of the reapings!"

"Alright, awesome," Viola replied, smiling at Randall. "Let's do that." Caius, Regan, and Viola rose from the table they were sitting at and sat down at the cream, leather sofa as Randall turned the TV on. Being from District 2, Regan and Caius were some of the first tributes to be revealed. Nevertheless, they became quickly engrossed in the reapings of every district.

* * *

Darien sat in an ornate chair against the wall and blankly stared out the window. He knew in his heart that reaping could be inevitable for any and all district children, but nothing could shake the turmoil he was feeling due to it being him. He was paying no attention to the world outside the window; he was too busy contemplating possible escape plans. He knew he had to escape, and he intended on doing so. He just had to figure out how he could do it. The Capitol had high-tech security that could detect him in his tracks and Peacekeepers that could stop him at any turn. It would take major stealth and even some luck to get around them. He noticed that the train was now out of District 8 and starting to pass through District 9 when his thoughts drifted to his goodbyes in the Justice Building. He scowled contemptuously when the image of his father came to mind. How his father, dressed clad in his form-fitting Peacekeeper uniform had exchanged cold glances with him before dragging Darien's mother out of the room. Peacekeepers weren't allowed to have children, so Darien's father had left Darien's mother and cut all ties from her after Darien was born out of wedlock. So Darien's mother was forced to raise her son on her own. Darien's mother had told him all about his father, and despite never knowing him, Darien hated him. His Peacekeeper father had looked on at him like he was dirt, practically forgetting that he was looking at his son. An illegitimate son, granted, but it was still his son nonetheless. It was his father's fault for having a one night stand with a woman he didn't know, so why blame him for being born? Darien snapped out of his thoughts when he felt himself lurch forward as the train come to an abrupt halt.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked himself, now sitting up in his seat. "Where are we?" He heard footsteps pattering across the floor, and he turned to see Ariani walking up to him, her reaping outfit now slightly wrinkled.

"The train broke down. We're stopping here for a bit while they fix the train," Ariani said to him. "It probably won't be long though." Darien turned to glance out the window again, noticing that they were now halfway through District 10. He nodded and stood up to follow Ariani outside the train. It was when he stepped off the lavish carpet and onto the wooden platform when it hit him. This was his chance to make a break for it. He peered around him, making sure nobody around was watching him, before casually walking across the platform. Ariani had stepped back onto the train, and the Capitol chefs and Avoxes never left the train to begin with, so Darien was safe to keep going. Nobody was in sight now, so he prepared to jump off the platform and run off into the woods of District 10. He took another step, mentally preparing for launch, when he suddenly heard an annoying Capitol voice behind him.

"Darien! Yoo-hoo!" chimed the District 8 escort. "The train's been fixed, so we can keep going! Come along now!"

Rats. He found his chance, and then he lost his chance. Darien sighed with exasperation as he turned around and followed the escort back inside the train, barely listening as the escort rambled on about eating dinner and watching the reapings. After that little failure, Darien was more determined than ever to find a way out of the Hunger Games.

* * *

Thousands of Capitol citizens were seated in a vast theatre, cheering as Lindsey Knucklesworth, the interviewer for The Hunger Games, took a seat in one of red, leather, swivel chairs onstage. The red laser lights flashing throughout the otherwise dark theatre illuminated Lindsey's perfectly powdered face, adorned with sparkles that replace eye shadow and, thick red lipstick, and cheeks that are completely covered in blush. Lindsey was dressed in a glittery, poufy, pink cocktail dress and silver heels, with matching jewelry to boot. Lindsey beamed and waved to the crowd as Curtis Sparks, the returning Head Gamemaker, stepped onto the stage, resulting in more cheers from the Capitol crowd. Curtis was of medium height, about the same as Lindsey. He had dark, spiky hair and matching dark eyes, and he was dressed in a silver suit with a red tie. Curtis too smiled and waved to the audience as he sat down across from Lindsey.

"Hello, people of the Capitol!" Lindsey said in a booming voice, cueing the crowd to settle down. "As you all can see, I am here with the one and only Head Gamemaker, Curtis Sparks!" Together Lindsey and Curtis basked in the applause, before Lindsey continued, turning towards Curtis. "So Curtis, tell me, how are you feeling about this year's Hunger Games?"

"Well Lindsey, I must say that I am very excited about the Games this year," Curtis answered confidently. "With all the surprises we've come up with for the tributes to find in the arena, I think we just might be able to top last year's Games." The crowd nearly went into a wild frenzy upon hearing this. They couldn't wait for the excitement that was another Games.

"Can you reveal any of those surprises to us?" Lindsey asked, leaning in towards Curtis, who chuckled as he paused to think.

"Well, I can't really give anything away…" Curtis trailed, a playful smirk appearing on his face. "But I can tell you that the tributes will face many twists and turns throughout the arena." This made the Capitol people echo in _ooh_s and _Oh_s. Lindsey giggled at this before pressing on.

"What can you tell us about the arena?" she inquired, raising her eyebrows inquisitively at the Head Gamemaker.

"Ah, yes, the arena. Well…" Curtis began, nodding quickly. "It's going to look like ordinary woodlands, but there are going to be little traps everywhere."

"Nice, very nice," Lindsey said, listening with intrigue. "I bet it's going to look awesome on all of our TV screens."

"Oh, it sure will," Curtis replied with a chuckle. "Yeah, it's going to be really great and I can't wait for all of you to see it. I promise you that you will not be disappointed." Curtis gave a small bow as the audience clapped for him once again.

"That's great to hear, Curtis! Well thank you so much for being here tonight," Lindsey said, shaking Curtis' hand, before the two stood up. Lindsey then extended her arm in a warm gesture towards Curtis as they faced the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, our Head Gamemaker, Curtis Sparks!" Curtis gave one more wave to the cheering crowd before leaving the stage. "Be sure to tune in for my interviews with each of the tributes in a week!" Lindsey told the crowd. "Until then, goodnight everyone!" Lindsey bowed quickly as the audience applauded her before she walked off stage. She smiled to herself and sighed with bliss, as she did after all of her successful shows. Her smile grew even bigger with anticipation, as she was looking forward to interviewing this year's tributes.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Welcome to the Capitol

Oliver and his district partner Aimee gazed out the window in awe when they arrived at the Capitol. Citizens stood outside in their city circle, staring up at them as their train went by. Being from District 3, they were among the first of the tributes to arrive at the Capitol. Dazzled by the scenery, Aimee was soaking up all there was to see in the Capitol. Oliver continued to look around at the sights in the Capitol, but not out of amazement. Oliver's eyes widened with fear, and his heartbeats were rapid, his heart on the verge of bursting out of his chest. Being reaped scared him enough, but now that he was at the Capitol, he was flat-out terrified. He gulped as he accidentally made eye contact with a random Capitol citizen and turned away, when he suddenly felt the train come to a screeching halt. They had arrived at the train station, officially at their destination. The escort and two Peacekeepers hurriedly ushered Oliver and Aimee off the train, and they headed to the remake center, where their makeovers awaited them.

* * *

After being waxed, tweezed, and plucked at by her prep team, Aeris nervously waited for her stylist. Dressed in nothing but a thin white robe, she was seated on a red leather couch in the middle of the styling room, while her prep team ran around collecting fabrics and other materials they needed to create costumes for other tributes. Aeris could hear the sound of high heels clacking against the white tiled floor above the sounds of the prep team's footsteps. The District 10 female glanced up at a Capitol woman twice her size as she walked towards her. She looked fairly normal for a woman from Capitol, at least more so than other Capitol citizens Aeris had seen so far. Aeris admired the woman's bright blonde hair, which had more of a golden glow to it than her own blonde locks. The woman had light green eyes surrounded by silver eye shadow and a few rhinestones around her eyelashes to match her green blouse with diamond-studded buttons, silver skinny jeans, and silver pumps. She smiled at Aeris as she greeted her, shaking her hand for extra formality.

"Hi, Aeris, I'm Natalia, and I'm going to be your stylist for the chariot parade and interviews," the woman said to Aeris, who only responded with a small nod. "Now, I have all of my materials ready, so we can get started now. We'll start with your outfit for the chariot parade, as that's in a few hours, and then we can move on to your interview outfit. Does that sound good?"

"Okay," Aeris mumbled, as Natalia motioned for her to stand up before gently placing a powdered, manicured hand on her shoulder and leading her over to the full-length mirror on the wall.

"So Aeris…" Natalia trailed, looking at her tribute in the mirror. "Your district is livestock, right? How do you feel about a ritzy cowgirl outfit?" Aeris cringed and shook her head. "No? That's fine then. We can keep brainstorming until we think of something nice."

* * *

Hours later, epic ceremonial music was playing, and the City Circle was packed with Capitol citizens, who were cheering and applauding for their favorite pairs of tributes as they rode by in their designated chariots for their districts. The first chariot reached the center of the City Circle, and people _ooh_ed and _ahh_ed at District 1's outfits. Diamond was dressed in a golden, satin gown covered in jewels of all different colors, with matching heels and her blonde hair flowing behind hair, adorned with a bejeweled headband. Silver was dressed in a golden, jewel-studded suit and dress shoes to match Diamond, and his hair was neatly slicked back. Both were standing proud, smirking with vanity as they absorbed the applause. The crowd kept their cheering going as District 2 came strolling by. Regan was dressed in a glittery silver dress and heels, with her hair tied back in a big bun, and Caius was wearing a silver suit and dress shoes, with his hair slightly spiked. Regan was also soaking in the cheers of the crowd, waving and blowing kisses in all directions, while Caius smiled and nodded at the crowd as their chariot passed by. Trailing behind were the chariots for Districts 3 and 4, who were riding closely together. Oliver was wearing a white shirt with green and red buttons, black pants, black dress shoes, and a black blazer, while Aimee was wearing an evening gown that was white on the top with the sleeves and the rest of the gown being black. Aimee's brown hair had been cut and styled in a pixie bob, allowing the crowd and viewers at home to get a better view of her dress. Both outfits reflected the standard image of computers and television to match their chariot that was shaped as such. Oliver and Aimee had big smiles plastered on their faces as they stood there and waved to the crowd, when Oliver stumbled and fell out of the chariot. Aimee yelled out a "Crap!" and reached out to grab Oliver's arm, barely pulling him back inside the chariot before it could leave him behind.

"Hey, are you okay?" Aimee asked once Oliver was once again situated in the chariot.

"Heheh, yeah," Oliver replied, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry, my bad." Aimee chuckled and rolled her eyes as she looked behind her at District 4's tributes. Emmaline was dressed in a green mermaid gown that ruffled like strings at the bottom to represent seaweed, with her hair pulled back into a bun with a matching green headband. Feeling glamorous from her outfit, Emmaline was smiling and she daintily waved to the crowd like a princess. Cyrus was beaming in an ocean blue tuxedo with sandy brown buttons and dress shoes, mostly standing proudly with an occasional wave to the crowd. "Show-off," Oliver muttered, also looking over at Cyrus and Emmaline. Aimee craned her neck to catch a glimpse at District 5's chariot. The Capitol crowd stopped and stared in awe at Kelilyn, who was dressed in a black gown with an atom spread across the chest and metallic green heels, with her hair pulled back into a bun with a pin in the shape of an atom securing it. Ivan was wearing a black v-neck blouse with a sparkling atom printed on it, black corduroy jeans, and black dress shoes, with his hair newly buzzed. Both were barely listening to the cheering of the crowd; instead looking up and around at the other tributes and the crowd. Kelilyn turned around and found herself making eye contact with the girl from District 6, who was decked out in a white dress with blue streaks and white heels to represent what the trains they built looked like. The girl's brown hair cascaded in curls behind her, with a blue headband on top. Her district partner was wearing a white dress shirt, a blue tie, white pants and shoes. The District 6 tributes were in the middle of a conversation, tuning out the Capitol citizens, when the girl made eye contact with Kelilyn. Also staring at the District 6 tributes are the tributes of District 7. Both tributes were dressed in brown corduroy business suits; Bettina wearing a skirt, and Jack wearing slacks, both complete with fancy boots. Both had curly hair that bounced around their heads as they turned to wave to both sides of the crowd. Some of the applause had died down as the crowd's attention turned towards District 8's chariot. Ariani was wearing a puffy pink gown with a beige, puffy choker on top and beige ruffles on the bottom to resemble a spool with thread (minus her pink wedge heels on the bottom), while Darien was dressed in a gray tuxedo with tiny pins shaped like needles attached all over, with gray dress shoes poking out from his rather large feet. Ariani's face was partly covered by her large curls that matched the fluffiness of her attire, while Darien's hair was completely brushed back off his face. Both shifted awkwardly from the discomfort their outfits gave them, but still managed to force out weak smiles as they gave small waves to the crowd.

"This outfit sucks," Ariani muttered under her breath, though managing to keep the fake smile on her face. Darien chuckled while he was waving to a group of Capitol children standing in front of their parents. The chariots were starting to reach the end of the City Circle, just below the president's mansion, and District 9's chariot was trailing behind them. Both tributes blended into the background, with Lita in a plain, strapless yellow gown and flats, with her brown hair flowing freely behind her, and Felix wearing a yellow polo shirt and tan slacks, with shoes to match his shirt. Lita cringed when she looked at her district partner; the only thing with him that stood out was that he was now bald. Why his prep team decided that shaving his head completely was a good idea was beyond her. Nevertheless, they politely waved to the crowd while looking around at the other tributes. The chariots were carefully spread out, so the only tributes they could see easily were from District 10. Aeris smiled down at her white cocktail dress and ballet flats, both with black splotches on them, just like a cow. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a black and white hair tie, and cowbell earrings dangled from her ears. She turned to her district partner and giggled; apparently he had consented to wearing a cowboy costume, complete with a cowboy hat and boots. She had to admit, it was pretty dorky. Instead of waving to people or watching where their chariot was taking them, the two tributes turned to check out the attire of District 11's tributes. Naoko was dressed in a yellow dress similar to Lita's, only shorter, with her hair resting on her shoulders in pigtails, and Grant was dressed in a beige shirt and glittery blue overalls, with matching beige shoes and his hair neatly spiked. Some parts of the crowd were still cheering, but others had stopped considerably by the time District 12's chariot rolled around. Rosemary had on a black gown with puffy sleeves to resemble pieces of coal, paired with black shoes. Her hair was pulled off her face in a tight bun, with a shimmering back hair tie wrapped around it. Hamish was wearing a black, v-neck t-shirt, black jeans, and black combat boots, with his hair half-spiked on top of his head. Rosemary waved and even blew a few kisses to the crowd, but occasionally tensed up, feeling uncomfortable as Hamish placed an arm around her shoulder at times while he waved. Finally all twelve chariots reached the end of the City Circle, and we lining up in front of the president's mansion. Several feet above them, a middle-aged man known as Coriolanus Snow Sr., the president of Panem, stepped out onto one of his many balconies, and looked down at the tributes. His wife and three year old son, who was named after him, stood behind him, scrutinizing the tributes while the president addressed them.

"Welcome, tributes," President Snow Sr. began. "We are happy to have you here in the Capitol. Congratulations on being chosen to represent your district in this year's Games. We hope that you're ready, because it will be one brutal, bloody battle in the arena. But for now, enjoy your stay, and we look forward to seeing you in your interviews. Be excited, because the Games are about to begin." The Capitol crowd roared in applause, while some of the tributes gulped and cowered with fear, as the president and his family turned and returned inside the mansion. The escorts then ran over to help the tributes off their chariots, before escorting them inside the training center.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Training

The next morning, the tributes arrived in pairs to the training center, where the head trainer, Star, and a plethora of weapons and survival supplies awaited them. The stations were spread out throughout the training center, with camouflage towards the back corner and archery near the center of the room. A few tributes were looking past Star for a glance at the variety of weapons, while the rest focused their attention on the head trainer. She had wavy red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and eyes that were a blend of green and hazel. She was dressed in a black track suit with the Capitol seal printed on the back of her jacket and black sneakers. Her face looked rather calm, despite her arms being crossed across her chest as she stared at the tributes, sizing each one up in her mind and determining their chances of survival in the arena.

"Okay, tributes," Star began, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. "For the next few days, you will be training to prepare yourselves for the Games. On the last day of training, you will each have a private session with the Gamemakers where you will have the opportunity to show them your skills, which they will score accordingly. You have both the weapons and survival supplies at your disposal, anything you think you can use to impress the Gamemakers is here for you. Take full advantages of this time you have to tweak both your skills in weaponry and survival techniques, as you will need both to survive in the arena. Are there any questions?" Most of the tributes just shook their heads, while some mumbled "No". "No? Alright then, go ahead," Star finished, motioning for the tributes to begin training before walking off. While the other tributes immediately made their way to their preferred stations, Naoko, the girl from District 11, wandered the training center to see each station for herself. She passed by like a fly on the wall as swords clashed and knots were being tied, when she came across one tribute sitting by herself at the plant station. Naoko recognized her as the girl from District 10, whose district partner was dressed in that goofy cowboy costume in the chariot in front of hers. The girl's eyes were scanning half the plants, the ones that were safe to come in contact with, when she looked up and noticed Naoko's presence. Realizing that they were now making eye contact, Naoko decided to start the conversation.

"Hey, what's your name?" Naoko asked the girl.

"I'm Aeris. What's your's?" the girl answered.

"I'm Naoko. It's nice to meet you," Naoko responded, taking a step closer and sitting down beside Aeris in front of the plants. "So…was this your first reaping?" Aeris looked to be about the same size as Naoko, so the latter was wondering how old Aeris was.

"Yeah, it was," Aeris replied, which slightly intrigued Naoko. "How about you?"

"Yeah, me too," Naoko answered, giving a small nod. _Oh wow, we're the same age. What are the odds?_ "So…uh-" Naoko trailed off, when she was cut off by the sound of a spear burying itself inside a dummy. Naoko and Aeris turned their heads in the direction which the spear had come, and they saw that it was the girl from District 2 who had thrown it. She had a proud smirk on her face, and Naoko and Aeris' jaws had dropped when they saw that the dummy's head had been sliced clean off, and was now rolling across the floor. "Uh…wow." That was all Naoko could say.

"How did she do that?" Aeris wondered aloud, staring at the older girl in amazement. "I can't believe that's actually possible."

"I don't know," Naoko replied, finally managing to pull her eyes away from the dispatched dummy and redirecting her attention back to Aeris. "But we should probably stay away from her in the arena."

"Yeah, she's scary," Aeris agreed, looking away right as she was caught staring. Naoko looked down at the plants in front of her, when she remembered what she was about to say before.

"So…um…I was wondering…" Naoko continued, as she and Aeris went from staring at the District 2 female to staring at each other. "Do you want to be in an alliance?" Aeris hesitated, stopping to think for a moment, before nodding.

"Sure," she answered, her lips curling slightly upwards in a small smile.

"Cool," Naoko said, happiness hinting in her voice as she returned the smile. "Hey, why don't we go and practice with the throwing knives?"

"Okay," Aeris responded, and the two girls got up and walked over to the knives station.

* * *

Over at the sword station, Caius, the boy from District 2, was sparring with Darien, the boy from District 8. Darien had no intention of staying and entering the Games, but he figured that he'd get some practice in for the time being should worst come to worst. Their swords clattered and clanged against each other as the two guys practically copied the other's movements, failing to get in any shots on their opponent.

"So," Caius said, lifting up his sword to block an attack from Darien. "You ever thought about being in the Games?"

"Of course," Darien replied, lunging forward to strike again. Blocked. "But I'm no Career, so it's not like I trained or anything." The dark haired male then took a step back as Caius thrust his sword forward, the tip of the blade grazing the fabric of his training uniform. "How long have you been training for?"

"A couple of months, starting after the first Games ended," Caius answered, keeping his eyes locked on the District 8 male as their swords collided again. "Pretty much everyone in District 2 was on board with the whole idea of the Games, so I figured I'd train alongside them. I prefer to survive anyway." Darien chuckled as he poked Caius's shoulder with the tip of his own blade.

"I think everyone prefers survival," the District 8 boy said, before stepping back to avoid being jabbed in the chest. Caius took a step forward to strike again, but he slightly flinched when he heard a yelp a few yards away from where they were sparring. Both guys turned to where the yelp had come from, and saw that the tributes from District 1 had knocked over a cart filled with giant blue medicine balls, one falling on the girl's foot as the rest rolled across the floor into the other stations. Star glared at Diamond and Silver, and they yelped again before running around to pick up the medicine balls and put them back on the cart. Caius and Darien chuckled as they turned back towards each other.

"Oh my God, those guys are so stupid," Darien commented, still snickering. "You're not going to join them, are you?" Caius laughed and ran his free hand through his brown hair.

"Probably not," Caius replied while glancing over at Diamond, who was struggling to lift a medicine ball before dropping it on her other foot. "I don't even know what Regan's doing. But we'll see." Darien lifted up his sword to continue the spar, when Star blew her whistle.

"Okay, everyone! It's break time!" Star called out. "Put everything back where you found it, and we'll resume training in the afternoon." Caius and Darien shrugged and returned their swords to the rack they pulled them out from, before following the other tributes as they headed to lunch.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Keeping Score

_Imagine the song 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor playing as the following montage begins._

Diamond runs into the arena and picks up an axe, before throwing it. She beams with pride as the axe connects with a dummy to her left, slicing its chest open and causing a few tufts of fluff to spill out of it.

_The image of Lindsay Knucklesworth is meshed with each tribute as she reads their score._

"Diamond Tiara receives a score of…an eight. Just what we'd like to see from a Career tribute."

When dismissed by the Gamemakers, Diamond leaves the training room, and Silver enters. He grabs a large sword and begins slashing at the dummies, tearing each one of them up completely.

"Silver Tiara…he gets a score of…an eight as well. Like brother, like sister, it seems."

Regan is next to enter the training room. She grabs a handful of spears and fires each one, aiming for the red, human-shaped targets lined up in front of her. One by one, her spears connect with the bulls-eyes of each target, the last one being knocked over due to the impact.

"Regan Speare…a ten! Amazing, absolutely amazing."

Caius is standing before the Gamemakers next. He is holding a bow and arrow, meticulously aiming for a target almost on the other side of the room. The Gamemakers watch the arrow fly, and a smirk appears across Caius' face as the arrow connects. Bulls-eye.

"Caius Kent, with a score of…ten! Wow! Another fantastic score!"

Aimee shyly smiles at the Gamemakers before picking up a bow and arrow. She takes a step closer to the target as she aims, before releasing the arrow. She smiles with relief when it lands just an inch away from the bulls-eye.

"Next up is Aimee Cornwell, with…a seven. Not bad for a District 3 tribute."

The Gamemakers await the next tribute, but he is nowhere to be seen. Their eyes scan the training room, before Oliver pops up right below the balcony where they're sitting. Oliver then proceeds to charge at a dummy, knocking it to the ground before throwing several punches at it.

"Let's see, Oliver Claude…a six. Average."

Emmaline picks up a throwing knife and pauses to aim, before chucking it at a dummy. Much to her delight, it hits the dummy, but much to her dismay, it bounces off the dummy, failing to even leave a mark.

"Emmaline Lyons gets…a seven. Pretty weak for a Career tribute, I'm afraid."

Not one second after Emmaline exits the training room, Cyrus charges in. He grabs a sword on the way before pouncing on a dummy, tackling it to the ground. He stabs and slashes at it for several minutes, before grinning proudly when he sees that he has dismembered it completely.

"Next, Cyrus Slash…wow! An eleven! Even for a Career tribute, that's fantastic!"

After Cyrus' brutal beat down of the now mutilated dummy, Kelilyn is seen kneeling by a series of plants. She seems to be giving the Gamemakers a lesson on edible and inedible or poisonous plants.

"Onto District 5. Kelilyn Light, you've earned…a six. Meh, okay."

Ivan picks up a bow and arrow and aims. He hesitates before letting the arrow fly. He watches in horror as the arrow misses the target, instead colliding with a string of lights that was perched on the wall below the balcony filled with Gamemakers. Ivan cringes as the bulb struck by the arrow shatters.

"Ivan Nukes…wow. A one… Fail."

Lucille is next. She grabs a sword and thrusts it into the chest of a dummy hanging on the wall below the Gamemakers. She repeats the motion over and over until she creates a big hole in the dummy.

"Lucille Bellevue…a five. Lame."

James enters the room and takes a pause to look up at the Gamemakers, before picking up a medicine ball and throwing it at a target. The medicine ball slams right into the target, causing it to fall backwards, which in turn knocks three other targets over.

"James Rhodes…a six. Again, average."

Bettina gives an awkward smile and wave before lifting a dummy off the floor and throwing it into another one, before grabbing an axe and chopping up the first dummy into pieces.

"Bettina Wilde…an eight…Eh, pretty good."

Jack reaches for an axe and throws it like a Frisbee at one of the remaining dummies. He grins as the axe cuts through the dummy's torso, slicing the mannequin in half.

"Okay, Jack Forrest…a nine. Very nice."

The Gamemakers then watch as Ariani quickly ties a noose together, before picking up one of the smaller dummies and using the noose to hang it. She takes a step to the side to show off her handiwork.

"Ariani Woolf…a seven. Just above average, but not too bad."

Darien walks towards the hanging dummies, sword in hand. He raises his sword and impales it through the first mannequin's chest, before grabbing another sword and simultaneously beheading two others.

"Next, we have Darien Shinoko…ten! Wow! Very impressive for a non-Career."

Lita walks over to the weapons station and grabs a throwing knife. She pauses for a moment to decide on a target, before hurling the knife at one of the human-shaped targets in the center. The knife fails to stick, but it does slice the head off the target.

"Lita Reed…she gets a nine. Good, good."

Felix shortly follows after Lita. He picks up a knife and aims it, holding it between his fingers as though he's preparing to throw a dart. He throws the knife, only for it to fall to the floor before hitting the target. The District 9 male apologizes profusely before picking up the knife and preparing to try again. Sadly he does the exact same thing.

"Felix Rice…one. Now that's just bad."

Aeris takes a deep breath as she reaches for the throwing knives and pulls out the heaviest one. She takes aim, mustering all of the strength she has before throwing it at a hanging dummy on the right. The knife collides with the dummy's head and sticks.

"And the Gamemakers' score for Aeris Hart is…an eight. Well done."

Holding a knife, Murphy runs over to one of the dummies that have already been stabbed and begins stabbing it in the chest repeatedly. After doing so about five times, he looks up at the Gamemakers. They look unimpressed.

"Murphy Stock…yikes…a two. Yeah, major ouch. Now we're up to District 11…"

Naoko chucks a knife at the head of the only untouched dummy remaining, pointed out by the Gamemakers. The knife slashes through the mannequin's head, beheading it. The head hangs on for a moment, before dropping off and plopping onto the floor, with the knife replacing it on the dummy.

"Naoko Chan…she gets…a nine. Nicely done, non-Career."

Grant lifts up a medicine ball and swings it around, preparing to throw it. However, due to dizziness and overshooting his footing, Grant stumbles and falls over, dropping the medicine ball.

"Grant Fields…three. How sad."

Hamish rushes into the training room and picks up a spear. He takes aim at the target in the center, and throws. The spear sticks to the target, but unfortunately landed far below the bulls-eye.

"Hamish Rembrandt…a four. What a pity."

After hours of waiting, Rosemary enters the training room, watching the Gamemakers as she makes her way over to the weapons station. She picks up a bow and a few arrows and takes aim at her first target. She releases the arrow, and it hits the target square in the chest for a bulls-eye. Happy with her first shot, she smiles as she aims at the second target. Her arm slips right as the arrow is released, and it lands on the head of the human target. Not a bulls-eye, but still a good shot.

"And lastly, Rosemary Wood…a nine. Good job."

_End montage._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Chatting With Lindsey, Part 1

Several red lights flashed as the cameramen turned their cameras on and held up their hands to signal that they were now live. Several more lights flashed onstage, including two spotlights aimed at the two red leather swivel chairs. The audience cheered as Lindsey Knucklesworth walked onto the stage, smiling and waving as she took a seat in the red leather chair on the left. Lindsey was dressed in a purple and sliver satin blouse with a matching skirt and heels, with her hair neatly pinned back into a bun, adorned with numerous sparkly hairclips. Her eyes flashed purple from the eye shadow and fake eyelashes she was wearing. Lindsey gently pats her head to make sure that it's still neat and tidy, before addressing the audience, her fellow citizens of the Capitol.

"Hello everyone, and Happy Hunger Games!" Lindsey began, earning her more applause while the cameramen zoom in on her. "Tonight I'll be interviewing this year's tributes and finding out where their heads are going into the Games this year. Are you ready to meet them?" The audience's cheering increased in volume, confirming that they were ready. "Awesome! Then let's bring out our first tribute. From District 1, Diamond Tiara!" The cameramen zoom in on Lindsey and the other red chair as Diamond walks onto the stage, dressed in a shimmering silver dress, with a huge diamond embellishment on the chest. Her blonde curls cascaded behind her, with little diamond barrettes giving her hair additional sparkle. Diamond's silver heels poked out as she took a seat across from Lindsey.

"Girl, you look fabulous!" Lindsey exclaimed, eyeing Diamond's dress up and down. "I love it!"

"Thanks!" Diamond chimed, letting out a small giggle. "I picked it out myself. This dress was _totally _meant for me!"

"Of course," Lindsey said with a nod. "So Diamond, how did you feel when you found out you'd be competing?"

"Omigod, I was _so _shocked," Diamond answered, her eyes widening as she spoke. "I like, _totally _didn't see it coming. I was just like, omigod!"

"I'll bet," Lindsey said, mentally noting the audience's silence as they listened intently. "Now, tell me about your brother Silver. What was going through your mind when he was also chosen?" Diamond paused to think, her face appearing blank, before continuing.

"Omigod, I don't even know," Diamond replied, her eyes retaining that bug-eyed size. "It was so weird. Me and him together, I couldn't believe it, especially after our sister Rhinestone had already been chosen last year."

"Ah, yes, I remember Rhinestone," the Capitol woman said thoughtfully, feeling slightly reminiscent. "Now, do you think you and your brother will work together in the arena?"

"Depends on if he survives the bloodbath," Diamond responded, a smirk appearing on her face. Lindsey and the Capitol audience laughed. The audience was still laughing when Lindsey recomposed herself and continued.

"Haha, we'll see what Silver has to say about that in a little bit," Lindsey said, stifling another chuckle. "Anyway, what is your motivation you're using to win?" Diamond took another moment to gather her thoughts together, when her eyes lit up.

"Let's see…the fame, the fortune, the free food for District 1…" Diamond trailed, counting off each thing on her perfectly manicured fingers, triggering more laughter from the audience and Lindsey.

"All very nice things, if you ask me," Lindsey said, without skipping a beat. "Now, you got an eight in training. How do you feel about your training score?"

"Oh, it's good," Diamond answered, her voice slightly trailing. "I thought it was good." A buzzer sounded onstage.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have together," Lindsey told Diamond, who gasped and exclaimed "Already?" "Best of luck to you in the Games, Diamond." Diamond stood up, and the audience clapped for her, showing moderate interest in her. "That's Diamond Tiara from District 1, ladies and gentlemen!" Diamond blew a kiss to the crowd as she walked offstage. "And now, introducing our other tribute from District 1, Silver Tiara!" The audience resumed cheering as Silver walked out wearing a silver tuxedo with diamond buttons, with matching shoes also adorned in diamonds. "Well, well, well," Lindsey said, smiling at Silver. "Silver, you look great."

"Thank you, Lindsey," Silver responded, grinning with a hint of arrogance.

"So tell me, Silver," Lindsey said, diving right into the interview. "What was going through your mind during the reaping? How did it feel to be one of the ones chosen for the Games?"

"Well," Silver began while collecting his thoughts. "It was pretty amusing seeing my diva sister get reaped; since she's the last person who would ever want to get her perfectly manicured hands dirty." Silver paused and smirked when the audience laughed, before continuing, "However, it was a shock for me to be reaped alongside her. Odds like that are just weird." A few more chuckles from the audience could be heard.

"Absolutely," Lindsey agreed, her head bobbing up and down as she nodded. "Would you want to work with your sister in the arena?"

"We'll see how the bloodbath goes," Silver answered, glancing from Lindsey to the crowd. "Which I _will_ survive, by the way, Diamond!" The audience cracked up all over again as Silver pointed towards backstage, where Diamond was watching her brother's interview. "Me not surviving the bloodbath, yeah right!" Lindsey threw her head back and laughed along with her audience.

"Of course you will, Silver," Lindsey said reassuringly. "You are a Career, after all."

"Thank you!" Silver exclaimed, throwing his hands up in an exaggerated fashion. "You hear that, Diamond?!" Diamond could be heard yelling something at Silver from backstage, which nearly split Lindsey's sides. The audience only heard a little bit of what Diamond said, but they laughed at the bickering siblings anyway.

"I love you two," Lindsey said, barely controlling her laughter. "You guys are so funny. Anyway, how do you feel about the other tributes?"

"I feel good about them," Silver replied, after a pause to calm down after his spat with his sister. "They're good competitors, but I can beat them. They'll be easy to kill, so my chances of winning increase." The audience returned to cheering, and Lindsey herself clapped.

"Just what we'd like to hear," Lindsey responded, her smile still holding. "How do you feel about your training score? It was pretty good for a Career."

"Yeah, it was pretty good," Silver answered, nodding his head. "I was happy with it." The buzzer sounded again.

"Well, that's all the time we have," Lindsey said, leaning over and shaking Silver's hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, Silver Tiara!" Silver waved to the crowd as he walked offstage, getting a reaction equal to the one his sister received. "Okay, everyone, it's now time to bring out our District 2 female, so please welcome…" Lindsey gestured towards the backstage area. "Regan Speare!" Regan basked in the applause as she stepped onstage wearing a black strapless evening gown with black heels, her pin-straight hair cascading behind her. "Regan! How are you?" Lindsey asked, as the District 2 female took a seat next to her.

"Good, thanks," Regan replied casually, smiling back at Lindsey. "How are you?"

"Good, good," Lindsey answered, seeming genuinely interested in the tribute. "Are you ready for the Games?"

"Oh, definitely," Regan replied, leaning back in her seat to get more comfortable. "I was born ready!" Regan turned towards the audience, who cheered because they liked her answer.

"That's great, Regan," Lindsey responded while fluffing her hair. "So…how did you feel when you found out you'd be competing?"

"I felt great," Regan responded, her tone slightly peppy. "I was so excited about coming here to represent my district in the Games." Lindsey and Regan beamed with pride as the audience cheered, louder than they did for either of District 1's tributes.

"Awesome," Lindsey said, nodding with approval. "Any plans for the Games you'll share?" Regan nodded without hesitation.

"Kill as many tributes as possible in the bloodbath," Regan began, pausing to collect her thoughts before continuing, "Wait it out while other tributes die, and then kill anyone who gets in my way. That's how I'm going to win." More screaming applause came from the audience, which Regan shrugged off like it was nothing, a grin on her face.

"Okay Regan, I think we already know the answer to this, but…" Lindsey started, as the audience's volume lowered. "Do you think you can win?" Regan's excited grin grew bigger instantly.

"Absolutely," Regan answered confidently. "I know I can win, and I'm going to win." The volume of the crowd escalated as the Capitol citizens roared with applause, nearly deafening Lindsey and Regan. Both couldn't help but laugh as they exchanged amused expressions.

"Well, Regan, I'd say you've got quite a large fanbase already," Lindsey commented, tossing a few locks of hair behind her, when she looked up at the timer. "Well, we only have about a minute left. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Hi Mom!" Regan chimed jokingly, waving at the camera with a goofy grin on her face. "I love you District 2, hope to make you all proud!" The a few people in the audience laughed, while the applause mostly continued, with high interest in the girl from District 2. The buzzer sounded, and Regan took that as her cue to leave the stage, so she shook Lindsey's hand before standing up and walking off.

"Regan Speare from District 2, everyone!" Lindsey announced, gesturing towards Regan one last time before she disappeared backstage. "Now, let's bring out our next tribute, our District 2 male…Caius Kent!" The Capitol audience gave another round of applause as Caius emerged onto the stage, dressed in a black blouse and black dress pants, with a silver blazer and shoes with a silvery glint. His hair mostly stood up in spikes, save for his bangs which grazed his eyes. A few Capitol women swooned as Caius took his spot with Lindsey.

"Hi Lindsey," Caius greeted, a little shyly.

"Hi Caius," Lindsey responded, eagerly welcoming Caius to the stage. "So tell me, how did you feel about being reaped?" The crowd waited in anticipation as Caius paused to think, before coming up with an answer.

"I have to say, it felt really weird," Caius replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "Even after seeing the Games last year, I never expected it to be me, especially not with a whole district of people to choose from." The audience was silent, listening intently, while Lindsey nodded with understanding.

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from," Lindsey said knowingly.

"It's especially awkward that my district partner is my ex-girlfriend," Caius added, chuckling to himself. "We broke up two weeks before the reaping." Lindsey and the audience laughed with him.

"I would think that would be awkward," Lindsey responded while giggling. "What would you say your chances are of winning?"

"Hmm…" Caius pondered this thought, seeming unsure of the answer. "It depends on how the bloodbath goes. If anyone who's a real threat ends up going down early on, then I would say that I have very good chances of winning."

"Fair enough," Lindsey said, before blurting out, "I can't believe it. It's so fascinating that two people who used to be a couple are going into the Games together. Do you think you two could rekindle your relationship in the arena?"

"Um…" Caius trailed, slightly uncomfortable about what he was just asked. "I don't think so. As good as our relationship used to be, we kind of grew apart and I lost interest, so no. If I win the Games, I'll probably look for someone else when I get home."

"Well, I don't think you'll have a problem finding someone else if you win the Games," Lindsey joked, cueing the audience to laugh again. "If you win the Games, girls will be lining up all over District 2 to date you." Caius chuckled and mumbled a "That's true", and the audience's laughter subsided as the buzzer sounded once again. "Caius Kent, ladies and gentlemen!" Lindsey chimed, taking Caius's hand and holding his arm high in the air. Caius thanked Lindsey before getting up and walking offstage, while the audience cheered, a positive reaction emanating from them. "Moving on to District 3…" Lindsey said once the audience was quiet. "Please welcome…Aimee Cornwell!" The audience politely clapped as Aimee walked out onstage wearing a white gown covered in black lace, with tiny white heels poking out from the bottom and more black lace entwined in her curled hair. Lindsey greeted Aimee as she sat down, before beginning to fire questions at her. "So…Aimee…" the emcee began, blinking a few times as she scrutinized the District 3 female. "What was it like to be reaped for the Games?" Aimee hesitated, a bead of sweat dripping from her brow as she stared out into the audience.

"Um…I was shocked, to say the least," Aimee answered, a tad unconfidently. "And I was a little terrified. Fighting to the death sounds very scary…" Aimee let out a nervous laugh, hoping the audience would chuckle too, but she was sadly dismayed when murmurs spread through the crowd instead.

"Oh, it's not so bad," Lindsey coaxed, smiling cheesily at her interviewee. "I mean, sure, many will die, but there's still a chance of survival."

"I guess," Aimee mumbled. More murmurs from the crowd.

"How do you feel about your training score?" Lindsey asked, feigning curiosity. "You got a seven."

"Um, I thought I did okay," Aimee replied, a little surer of herself this time. "It was a good score for me." A few Capitol people clapped, but the majority of them had fallen silent. Lindsey was starting to panic inside. This girl was so boring! What could she possibly do to liven things up? She still had two minutes left of this interview, so she had to at least try to make this more interesting.

"Hey Aimee," Lindsey said, an idea popping into her head. "I know you have loved ones back home, but is there anyone special in your life? Like, a boy or anyone?" Aimee's eyes flashed with reminiscence.

"Well, I did like this one boy…" Lindsey grinned with excitement. It looked like she hit a sweet spot with her subject. "He died in the Games last year though." Lindsey mentally facepalmed. Well, there went any potential juicy material regarding Aimee's life story.

"Oh…oh yeah. I remember Patrick," Lindsey said, with a nod of her head. Aimee raised her eyebrow.

"His name was Alex…" Aimee responded, staring at Lindsey with skepticism. A sweatdrop fell from the back of Lindsey's head, anime-style.

"Oh, right. Alex. My bad," Lindsey replied, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry, I was thinking of the boy from District 5 from last year." Lindsey felt her cheeks flush red, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the buzzer rang out. "Well, thank you very much, Aimee, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Thanks," Aimee muttered, rising to her feet and heading backstage, the audience showing little to no interest in her. Once Aimee was off the stage, Lindsey's commercial smile returned to her face.

"Okay! Well then," Lindsey said, watching as the next tribute prepared to walk onto the stage. "Next up, we have Oliver Claude!" A few people clapped as Oliver approached Lindsey, dressed in a white oxford blouse and black dress pants, with black and white shoes. "Hello!" Lindsey chimed once Oliver was seated next to her.

"Hi," Oliver said, a bit curtly. Despite the disaster she considered Aimee's interview to be, Lindsey was unfazed by Oliver's quiet demeanor.

"So tell me about District 3," Lindsey began, hoping to ease Oliver into the interview. Oliver did relax a little, but he still seemed shy. Still, he took a moment to think, before deciding on what to say.

"Well, District 3 is in the technology profession, as everyone knows," Oliver answered with a small shrug. "But I'm sure it's the same as the other districts. We go to school, we work, and we go home and sleep at the end of the day. It's a simple life."

"That's very interesting," Lindsey said nonchalantly. "What has it been like being here at the Capitol?" Again Oliver hesitated and pondered his thoughts, while the audience stared at him blankly.

"It's been great here," Oliver replied, to which some people cheered. "The rooms are really nice, the food is delicious, and there are so many luxuries here. It's great."

"Great! I'm glad you like the Capitol as much as I do," Lindsey commented, drawing in some applause for herself. "Now, you got a six in training. How do you feel about that?" Oliver let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I did better than I thought I would," he said jokingly, making a handful of people laugh. "I'd say that was an okay score."

"Good. As long as you're happy with it, that's all that matters," Lindsey said, smiling and nodding like usual. "Well, not really. Anyway! How are you going to win the Games?"

"Hide," Oliver replied, a smile still on his face. "I'm going to hide until all of the other tributes die. Then I'll be declared the victor." More people clapped, but for the most part, Oliver was getting an average reaction from the audience. For her to be honest, Lindsey couldn't blame them, as she was getting bored with this tribute too. She just wished the buzzer would go off and end this lackluster interview.

"So, any last words from you before you enter the arena?" Lindsey asked, trying to hide her lack of interest.

"Mom, Dad, I love you," Oliver replied, waving at the camera as the buzzer went off. Realizing that his interview was over, Oliver walked off the stage, forgetting to say goodbye to Lindsey. Not that she cared.

"Alright, let's meet our first tribute from District 4," Lindsey said to move things along. "Please welcome Emmaline Lyons!" The District 4 female emerged from backstage wearing a royal blue ball gown with matching heels, earrings, and barrettes. The audience let out sighs of amazement as Emmaline sat in the chair next to Lindsey. Emmaline smiled and awkwardly waved to the Capitol people, making eye contact with a few of them.

"H-Hello…" Emmaline stuttered nervously.

"Hi, Emmaline," Lindsey greeted, not noticing the young girl's nerves. "Well, I must say, you look absolutely stunning."

"T-Thank you," Emmaline replied, a small smile appearing on her face. "You too."

"Why, thank you," Lindsey said sweetly, flattered. "You're very kind. Now, how do you feel about going into the Games this year?"

"I feel good about it, I guess," Emmaline answered, with all the confidence she could muster. "It certainly is exciting." Happy with this answer, the audience cheered. Emmaline smiled, the applause boosting her self-confidence.

"That's great! We here at the Capitol love it when our Careers are enthusiastic about the Games," Lindsey responded, giving Emmaline a thumbs-up. "Speaking of the Capitol, how do you like it here?"

"Well, it's certainly different from District 4, that's for sure," Emmaline replied, getting a few chuckles out of the crowd. "But it's nice here. All the luxuries and food here are amazing." The audience continued to cheer, making Emmaline blush.

"I know. That's why I love it here too," Lindsey said, beaming with pride for her Capitol home. "Can you tell us about any plans for the Games?"

"Not…really," Emmaline responded, scratching her head sheepishly. "I'm still working on that." She let out a nervous giggle, and a wave of relief washed over her when Lindsey and the audience laughed with her.

"Oh, okay then. That's fine," Lindsey told her, shrugging it off. "But do you think you can win the Games?"

"I'm hoping that I have a good chance," Emmaline answered with some hesitation. "I certainly want to win. It'd be nice to get back home to District 4. I miss my family and friends." The audience continued their applause, and a few people even _Aww_ed.

"Yeah, I can understand that," Lindsey said to the girl, nodding her head. "I definitely wish you the best of luck in that."

"Thank you," Emmaline responded, her voice suddenly dropping.

"Well, our time is almost up, so is there anything else you would like to say for our audience?" Lindsey asked, her voice taking on a soothing tone. Emmaline shook her head. "Well, thank you so much for being here tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Emmaline Lyons from District 4!" Emmaline waved to both Lindsey and the audience before speed-walking offstage. "Okay, it's time to meet our District 4 male…Cyrus Slash!" Lindsey's eardrums nearly shattered as the audience exploded in applause, roaring as Cyrus stepped out wearing a rainbow suit, with each piece of clothing a different color. "Oh, wow, look at you!" Lindsey exclaimed, feeling the polyester fabric of his yellow blazer between her fingers. "You look like a human rainbow trout!" Cyrus threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"That's the idea," he said proudly. "I like it because the rainbow trout is my favorite fish to eat back in District 4."

"Really? Mine too!" Lindsey said with a gasp. "That's really neat!"

"Sure is," Cyrus responded, nodding vigorously.

"So Cyrus," Lindsey said, clearing her throat. "Do you think you're prepared for the Games?"

"I am prepared," Cyrus answered with a grin. "I've been preparing for awhile, and I'm ready. Let's go!" As if the audience couldn't cheer any louder, they did, almost shattering the sound system in the studio. "Let's do this!"

"Yes! Just what we like to hear," Lindsey responded, pumping her fist halfway in the air. "Now, tell us about that awesome training score you got. An eleven! Career or not, that was truly incredible."

"I'm glad you thought so, because I loved it!" Cyrus said, half-shouting. "I had tons of skills to use, and I'm happy that the Gamemakers saw my talent. A great score for a great competitor, definitely. All of those other tributes better watch out, because I'm coming for them!" The audience erupted in cheers again. Lindsey thought she was going to lose her hearing.

"Yes, the Gamemakers have an eye for talent, and they know that you're going to be one to watch in the arena," Lindsey replied, a bit matter-of-factly. The emcee was fully engaged in the interview, happy that she was enjoying the tribute she was speaking to after the two duds that were the District 3 tributes. "I bet the other tributes are running scared already. You must be popular in school."

"Actually, you can say that I am," Cyrus responded, smirking arrogantly. "My friends are really awesome, and I know that they and the other kids from school feel the same way about me. They're great people. I have to admit, being popular is a great feeling."

"Oh, of course!" Lindsey exclaimed with a giggle. "I enjoy being popular too. One last question, Cyrus: do you think you can win?"

"I am going to win," Cyrus answered, without skipping a beat as he pointed to the crowd. "You're all going to see it!" The audience was practically hooting and hollering by this point, so loudly that they could barely hear the buzzer go off. Cyrus got up and flexed his muscles for the crowd before sauntering offstage.

"Cyrus Slash, ladies and gentlemen!" Lindsey announced. "Next, we have Kelilyn Light from District 5!" The crowd kept the cheering going as Kelilyn hit the stage dressed in a poufy green cocktail dress, with matching heels on her feet and combs adorning her hair. "Welcome, Kelilyn. Please, have a seat." The District 5 girl nodded and plopped down in the other leather chair. "So, Kelilyn, how do you like being here in the Capitol so far?"

"It's not so bad," Kelilyn answered, absent-mindedly looking around at the crowd. "It's a great place, actually. There's a lot to like about it."

"Like what?" Lindsey asked, over the Capitol's obnoxious ovation. "How does the Capitol differ from your home district?"

"The Capitol is much more luxurious than District 5," Kelilyn replied, tilting her head upward while thinking. "There are a lot of nice things here, stuff that people don't have back home."

"Such as…?" Lindsey inquired, her voice trailing nonchalantly.

"Well, the showers, for one," Kelilyn blurted out, drawing out some laughs. "And also there's the furniture, the TVs, and even some of the food as well."

"I see. Very interesting," Lindsey said. Hoping to hide her oncoming boredom, she pressed on, "How do you plan on winning the Games?"

"Well, hopefully I'll survive the bloodbath, and then I'll work from there," Kelilyn replied simply. "It won't be so much about killing; it'll be more about surviving." A few Capitol people clapped, while the rest listened intently.

"Sounds like a good plan," Lindsey commented, briefly contemplating this idea. "What did you think of your training score?"

"I did better than I thought I would," Kelilyn answered, laughing sheepishly and smiling when the audience chuckled as well. "I wasn't expecting a perfect score, but I was hoping for a respectable one, which I think I got for someone from my district. So, I'm happy about that." The cheering subsided by this point, but some people still clapped.

"Good to hear," Lindsey said, quickly glancing at the time on the buzzer before continuing, "What do you think about the other tributes? Are any of them intimidating to you?"

"Hmm…" Kelilyn began, stopping to think. "Well, the Careers are fearsome of course, but I think that everyone else is in the same boat as me. I guess it doesn't matter as much though, since I plan on avoiding them anyway, but if I end up in a confrontation with anyone, I'll do the best I can to handle it." A few more people applauded the District 5 girl, and the buzzer sounded to end her interview.

"Thank you very much, Kelilyn," Lindsey said, reaching over and shaking the girl's hand, before waving it in the air. "Kelilyn Light from District 5, ladies and gentlemen!" Kelilyn received a mixture of polite claps and excited cheers as she left the stage. "Now let's meet our District 5 boy, Ivan Nukes!" As Kelilyn disappeared backstage, Ivan entered wearing a black blouse, black dress pants, a green tie, and black and green shoes.

"Hello Ivan," Lindsey greeted while scanning him up and down. "Nice to see you."

"Hi Lindsey," Ivan said half-heartedly.

"Tell me about your life in District 5," Lindsey started, slightly startling the young boy. Ivan gulped while mentally scrambling to prepare an answer. Detecting Ivan's nerves, Lindsey suppressed a sigh of dismay and a roll of her eyes.

"Uh…well…" the District 5 male trailed. "It's an okay life, I guess. It's an average life. I go to school every day, I go home and do my homework, and then I spend the afternoon working in the nuclear power plant with my dad." Save for a few murmurs among them, the crowd was mostly silent. Lindsey suspected that they were as bored as she was, but she kept her focus on Ivan.

"So…what was going through your mind during the reaping?" Lindsey questioned, raising an eyebrow at her current subject.

"Well, I was just hoping and praying that it wouldn't be me, but then I got really nervous when I realized that it was me," Ivan answered, shaking in his seat. "I was so terrified when I was picked, I couldn't believe it. I'm still nervous about it now." The young tribute was so anxious that he didn't even hear the whispering coming from the crowd, as the people of the Capitol looked at him disdainfully.

"Well, I'm sure you're not the only one who's nervous," Lindsey mentioned, studying the boy again. "We've had our share of nervous tributes." Ivan nodded and laughed nervously while running his fingers through his fuzzed head. "Do you think you can win?"

"Eh…no," Ivan answered, his voice continuing to frown. "I really want to win. I hope I can win. I want to go back to District 5." The studio instantly fell silent, so silent that anyone could hear a pin drop. Lindsey was starting to sweat, even though she was doing her job and it was the tribute's fault for dulling things up.

"Well, the only way to find out is by entering the arena, which you'll be doing tomorrow," Lindsey stated. "So don't give up hope. I wish you all the best in the arena."

"Thanks," Ivan mumbled. Lindsey really wanted this interview to be over by this point, and so did the audience as far as what she was seeing. Luckily for her, the buzzer rang, and Ivan quietly exited the stage, receiving no reaction from the audience due to their lack of interest.

"Okay…" Lindsey said with a small shrug. "Let's meet our next tribute. From District 6, we have Lucille Bellevue!" A few Capitol citizens began to clap as Lucille emerged from backstage, dressed in a short white dress with a light blue ribbon tied around the waist. Her matching blue heels clacked against the tiled floor of the stage as Lucille shook Lindsey's hand and sat down, before reaching up and adjusting her curly ponytail. "Welcome, Lucille," Lindsey began in a welcoming manner. "Glad to have you here."

"Thanks," Lucille responded, returning the smile.

"How has your stay here at the Capitol been?" Lindsey inquired.

"Oh, it's been good," Lucille answered without much thought. "Our living quarters are really nice, the beds especially, and it's cool to have servants waiting on us every now and then. I don't think I've ever been waited on before." A couple of Capitol people, Lindsey included, chuckled at this.

"Oh my gosh, being waited on is so much fun," Lindsey said, with Lucille listening closely. "My assistants are wonderful. I also agree with you about the beds. I love my bed at home."

"They're so comfy," Lucille added, stifling a giggle.

"They are so comfy!" Lindsey agreed, nodding as she continued, "Anyway, how confident do you feel about you winning the Games?"

"I don't really know yet," Lucille replied thoughtfully. "I'm not the strongest one in the bunch, but I'm certainly not the weakest. I guess I'll find out soon." Some people clapped, while others whispered to each other.

"What's your strategy for winning the Games?" Lindsey asked, peering closely at the District 6 girl.

"My strategy for winning the Games is…" Lucille trailed, pausing to think. "Escape the bloodbath and try to survive while everyone else is fighting with each other. Hopefully some of the other tributes will be weaker before I have to fight someone." This earned Lucille a few cheers from the crowd, but they weren't as loud as they had been applauding earlier.

"Interesting," Lindsey commented plainly. "What is your motivation to win?"

"Staying alive," Lucille answered. "And also to get back home to my family and friends. I promised them that I would try my best to win and get home." Half the audience _Aww_ed, while the other half applauded.

"Aww, that's sweet," Lindsey remarked, feeling almost moved. "Well, I certainly wish you the best of luck in the Games."

"Thanks, Lindsey," Lucille responded, smiling and blushing.

"Well, we're almost out of time, so do you have anything to say to our audience and the people of District 6?" Lindsey asked, gesturing to the camera directly below the stage.

"Mom, Dad, I love you," Lucille stated, blowing a kiss into the camera. The buzzer rang out, and Lucille took her leave, getting a fairly positive reaction from the audience.

"Lucille Bellevue from District 6, ladies and gentlemen!" Lindsey announced, pointing to the District 6 girl before she vanished offstage. "Up next is…James Rhodes! Come on out, James!" Sure enough, James did come out, dressed in a white business suit with a blue tie, with his hair neatly slicked back.

"Hi Lindsey," James said, shaking her hand before sitting down.

"Hi James," Lindsey responded, watching as James leaned back in his seat to get comfortable. "So tell me. How did you feel when you realized you were entering the arena?"

"I was really surprised, to be honest," James replied, his eyes darting back and forth between the interview host and the crowd. "You think it's going to be someone else. You never expect it until it actually happens. So I was thrown for a loop." The audience fell silent as they listened attentively, starting to hang on his words. "But hey, I had to be ready for it. I couldn't ignore the possibility. It was still a major shock though, especially to my family." Obligatory clapping could be heard.

"I'm sure," Lindsey commented. "Do you miss District 6?"

"Absolutely," James answered smoothly. "Home is where the heart is. It's where your family is. My life in District 6 may have been ordinary, but I can't imagine it any other way." Cheers from the audience.

"Well, your life will certainly experience some changes if you end up winning the Games," Lindsey stated. "Do you think you'll be ready for that?"

"You're right, it will," James responded, looking down at the camera at the foot of the stage. "I think I can handle it, though I just want to get home to District 6." More applause ensued.

"Do you have any plans for the Games that you'll share?" Lindsey inquired, raising her eyebrows with intrigue. James looked down for a moment while thinking, before gazing back up at the master (mistress, really) of ceremonies.

"Not…really," James replied, his eyes blank. "Not that I don't want to share, I just…I don't know what I'm doing yet. I'll just be trying to survive." Several people laughed, while Lindsey smirked in amusement.

"Haha. Yes, survival is good," Lindsey responded, nodding vigorously. "Survival is a huge part of the Games, and while you're looking to survive, do you think you can win?" Another moment of thinking, when the District 6 male's eyes brightened, a glimmer of hope in them.

"I think that if I play my cards right, then winning could be a possibility," he answered, earning him additional applause from the audience. That's when the buzzer sounded once more.

"Well, time's up, but thanks so much, James," Lindsey said, shaking the boy's hand again. "James Rhodes from District 6, everyone!" The crowd's clapping slowly faded out as James walked backstage, while Lindsey turned to face the cameras. "We'll be taking a short break, but when we come back, we'll meet the tributes from District 7 onwards. Stay tuned!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chatting With Lindsey, Part 2

After a brief commercial break, the red button on the cameras turned back on with a _ping_, indicating that the show was once again live.

"Okay everyone, welcome back to this year's interview with the tributes," Lindsey announced, smiling as big as ever. "Continuing on, please welcome our District 7 female, Bettina Wilde!" The audience clapped as Bettina emerged onto the stage, dressed in a dark green blouse, a short brown skirt, and nude pumps, with her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She smiled and waved as she sat down next to the interview host.

"Why hello there, Bettina," Lindsey greeted, her cheesy smile slightly fazing the thirteen-year-old.

"Um…hi," Bettina replied, rather curtly. Lindsey didn't care, so she rolled with it.

"So Bettina," Lindsey began, clearing her throat and moving a strand of flyaway hair off her face. "You're going into the Hunger Games. Are you nervous?"

"Um…" Bettina began, twirling her ponytail with her finger. "A little…"

"Haha, I'm sure," Lindsey responded, with a toss of her own hair. "You'll be in a giant arena with twenty-three other people wanting your blood who will be fighting to the death on national television." The audience laughed, while Bettina only gulped. "No pressure though!"

"Um…right," Bettina mumbled, smiling weakly and laughing nervously. Lindsey cleared her throat as the audience's laughter subsided.

"Anyway," the interviewer continued. "What is your motivation you're using to win?"

"Living," Bettina answered bluntly, making the audience crack up again. Lindsey smiled, letting out a few giggles.

"Isn't she cute?" Lindsey asked the audience, getting minimal applause in return. Lindsey could sense oncoming boredom with this girl, but she continued to put her best foot forward to make this interview a good one. "What are you anticipating the most about the Games?" The studio was silent as the District 7 female paused to think, while Lindsey looked to her expectantly.

"Probably running into the other tributes," Bettina replied, scratching her head. "Who knows what will happen there if they run into me." No reaction from the audience. Lindsey bit her lip; she could see the bored expressions on the crowd's faces.

"And what exactly would you do if you ran into another tribute?" Lindsey questioned, cocking an curious eyebrow at Bettina.

"I would probably run," Bettina responded, eyes darting around anxiously. Lindsey cringed; there were clearly no fans of the District 7 girl in the audience. Luckily though, time ran out, and the buzzer buzzed. Bettina quickly stood up and walked off stage.

"That was Bettina Wilde from District 7, ladies and gentlemen," Lindsey said, watching Bettina walk backstage. "Now introducing our male from District 7, Jack Forrest!" Bettina was soon replaced by Jack, who was dressed in a green, long-sleeved blouse, tan slacks, and tan dress shoes. His bushy black hair was neatly gelled back into a fancily spiked hairdo. Still disappointed with Bettina's lackluster interview, the audience was mostly quiet when Jack arrived onstage. "Welcome, Jack." Jack greeted Lindsey with a smile and a nod. "So tell me, Jack, how did you feel about being reaped?" Jack was silent for a moment, save for a small "Um…", but he soon got his thoughts together.

"It was overwhelming," Jack answered, glancing over at one of the cameras. "My friends were shocked, my family was terrified, and I was feeling a mixture of both. Some of the kids that were standing near me had these pained looks on their faces, and it almost looked like they felt bad for me. It was sort of how I felt watching one of my classmates be reaped last year." Lindsey nodded as she pretended to ponder this thought.

"Well, if you win the Games, then I'm sure they'll only be happy for you," Lindsey said, to which Jack agreed. "Now, you got a nine in training. A very commendable score for a non-Career tribute, if I say so myself." Lindsey paused as the audience cheered, so much that her voice would have been drowned out. Once their applause died down, Lindsey continued, "So, how did you get such a high score? Tell us about your session with the Gamemakers." Jack hesitated, unsure of what to say, when Lindsey held up a manicured finger to her earpiece to listen. She remained in that position for almost a minute, before returning her attention to Jack and the crowd. "Oh, that's right. You guys aren't allowed to disclose details on what happened with the Gamemakers," she told the tribute. "Silly me! Moving on now. Anyway, what are you going to do to win?"

"Um…I guess just try to survive the living conditions and hope that the other tributes kill each other before they kill me," Jack answered with a small shrug.

"Well okay then!" Lindsey chimed, her smile growing as she held back a giggle. "What would winning mean to you?"

"Not dying!" Jack blurted out randomly. When he heard the audience laugh, he grinned and laughed with them. The audience had calmed down just in time for the buzzer to be heard. Lindsey thanked Jack and shook his hand, before he headed backstage.

"Alright, let's bring out our next tribute," Lindsey said, extending her arm to wave her next guest out. "From District 8, please welcome Ariani Woolf!" The crowd applauded as Ariani walked out, dressed in a short pink dress and tall heels, with a glittery gold embellishment on both the dress and heels. Her mousy brown hair was curled and styled into a side ponytail that rested on her right shoulder. "Ariani, hello! How are you, dear?"

"Good, thanks," Ariani replied shyly, turning to smile at the crowd. Lindsey nodded in approval as the audience cheered.

"That's good. Very good," Lindsey said, glancing from the crowd to Ariani. "Are you ready to enter the arena?"

"I guess I am, yes," Ariani answered, turning back to Lindsey.

"Also good. The readiness is all," Lindsey commented, pausing to adjust her blouse before continuing, "Do you think you can win the Games?"

"Maybe. I think it's possible," Ariani responded, slowly nodding. The audience erupted in cheers yet again.

"Great! You go, girl," Lindsey exclaimed, clapping alongside the crowd for a moment. "And why do you think you will be able to win?" Ariani only needed a moment to think, before she knew the answer.

"Nobody will even notice me, especially not once I escape the bloodbath," Ariani replied, sounding confident despite twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. "Nobody would even think to come look for me if they didn't find me. I'll be able to survive long enough until I'm ready to strike, then I'll be able to win." The volume of the cheering doubled, everyone's eardrums nearly shattered. The audience was so loud that nobody even heard the buzzer going off, and so it had to ring several times in order to be heard. The crowd continued their applause long enough until Ariani was offstage, before quieting down.

"Alright, next tribute!" Lindsey announced, excited about the wonderful interview she had just done. "Our District 8 male, Darien Shinoko!" The applause started up again as Darien walked out wearing a fancy blue suit with a ruffled white blouse. His hair was styled the way it usually was, fringed and half-spiked, and the scar on his left cheek was barely visible. Darien gave a small wave to the audience as he sat down next to Lindsey.

"Hello, Lindsey," Darien greeted curtly, leaning back in his seat and feeling the leather material between his fingers.

"Hello, hello!" Lindsey chimed, leaning over and shaking Darien's hand. "It's so nice to see you, Darien. I can tell that the audience is excited about you as well. How are you feeling right now?"

"I'm feeling alright, thanks," Darien replied nonchalantly. A few Capitol women could be heard swooning.

"Oh, good," Lindsey remarked, uncrossing one leg and crossing the other. "Are you feeling good about entering the Games?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I do," Darien answered with a smile. "A little." Light applause sounded from the audience.

"I would think so, what with your score of 10 in training," Lindsey stated, cueing more cheers. "That was incredible, Career or not. What was your reaction to seeing your score?" Darien chuckled and scratched his chin while thinking.

"I was honestly surprised," the District 8 male responded thoughtfully. "I thought I did a good job in training, but I didn't think that I was _that_ good. I seriously couldn't believe it. But I was really happy about it."

"Awesome. Good for you, Darien," Lindsey said, giving him a thumbs-up. "I would certainly say that puts you at very good odds of winning the Games. What do you think? Will the odds be in your favor in the arena?"

"Yes they will," Darien replied, a glint of determination in his eyes. "I'm going to make them be in my favor, because I'm going to fight. I'm going to make it to the end and win." Rather than stopping, the cheering grew louder, and a few girls even whistled and shouted professions of love at Darien. "Sorry ladies, I have a girlfriend back home," Darien said to the women in the audience, who groaned and fell silent.

"Oh, you do?" Lindsey asked, gasping with intrigue. "Well why didn't you say so? Tell us about her!" Darien laughed, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.

"Her name is Roxanne," the tribute began, staring into a camera for a moment. "She's been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I love her, and I want to return home for her. She's my motivation to win." The audience made more noise, a mixture of hoots and hollers and a chorus of _Aww_s filling the studio. That's when the buzzer rang.

"Well, time's up," Lindsey said to Darien. "Ladies and gentlemen, Darien Shinoko!" Even after Darien had left the stage, the audience continued their applause, while Lindsey introduced the next tribute. "From District 9, we have Lita Reed!" The District 9 girl sauntered onto the stage wearing a shimmering gold gown, with matching heels poking out from the bottom. Her eyes seemed brighter with the gold eyeliner, and her cheeks were tickled pink. Her hair was up in a bun, with two locks hanging at the sides of her heart-shaped face. "Lita! You look so beautiful!" Lindsey exclaimed, stopping Lita to look at her dress before allowing her to sit down.

"Thank you," Lita replied, beaming with pride. "Credit goes to my stylist, Lucia. She put this whole outfit together." Lindsey briefly scanned the crowd, before giving a thumbs-up to a fellow Capitol woman dressed in all pink.

"Good job, Lucia!" Lindsey called out, she and the audience applauding her. Lita couldn't help but laugh as Lucia blushed and waved Lindsey away. "She's one of my BFFs, you know," Lindsey said to Lita.

"Mine too," Lita responded, a few people in the crowd laughing.

"Okay, so Lita," Lindsey said, moving on. "You're entering the arena in less than 24 hours. How are you feeling?"

"Uh…okay, I guess," Lita answered, shrugging. "Could be better." The audience was soon quiet, but neither Lindsey nor Lita thought anything of it.

"Well okay. It's perfectly fine to be nervous," Lindsey said soothingly. "You're going to have a big day tomorrow." Lita's smile faltered. _Yeah, I'm probably going to die, and the whole country is going to see it._ "Anyway, what did you think of your training score?" Lita snapped out of her bitter thoughts, and she grinned again.

"I'm very happy with it," Lita replied proudly. "A nine is good. It even matches my district." A few people, Lindsey included, chuckled.

"Yes it does," Lindsey remarked, checking the time on the buzzer. They still had a minute and a half. "What motivation do you have to win?"

"My family," Lita answered, her smile dropping again. "They were worried sick when I was first chosen for the Games, and my mom said she didn't know what she'd do if I died. So I really need to win so I can go home to my family." The audience quickly applauded before becoming silent again.

"Well, I wish you and your family all the luck in the world," Lindsey said as the buzzer sounded. "Anyway, our time is up, but may the odds be ever in your favor." Lita muttered a "Thanks" and walked off, while the audience clapped. "Anyway, our other District 9 tribute," Lindsey continued. "Felix Rice!" The crowd was quiet as they saw the District 9 male enter the stage, wearing a yellow suit with big white buttons on the blouse, jacket, and shoes. His bald head looked like a cue ball as the lights shone down on it. Felix gave a small wave to the crowd, before sitting down and turning to face Lindsey.

"Hello there, Felix," Lindsey greeted. Felix gave a small nod in acknowledgment and waved to her. "How did you feel when you found out you'd be competing?"

"Um…not good," Felix answered, much to the dismay of Lindsey and the audience. "I was terrified. I still am. My mom was crying when she said goodbye to me. I don't know what she'd do if I didn't make it home."

"Well, here you are now!" Lindsey chimed cheerfully. "And you have just as much of a chance as anyone." _Not really_… Lindsey bit her lip to suppress a giggle at her own thought.

"Yes…here I am," Felix mumbled. "And we'll see."

"Now, let's talk about your training score," Lindsey continued, to which Felix cringed. "You don't have to give us specific details, but what happened? How did you manage to get such a low score?" Felix started to sweat as he scratched his head. He looked out to the crowd, who was staring at him with cold and unfeeling glares.

"Um…I have no idea," Felix admitted sheepishly. "I guess it was just a bad case of bad luck."

"A bad case of bad luck…" Lindsey repeated, before nodding. "I see. Do you still think you can win?"

"I'm not sure," Felix replied, still peeking at the audience out of the corner of his eye. "I want to win. I certainly hope I can win."

"Well, I certainly wish you the best of luck," Lindsey said, when the buzzer sounded. "Anyway, our time's up here. Ladies and gentlemen, Felix Rice of District 9!" The audience remained stony silent as Felix sped-walked off the stage in a flush of embarrassment. "Now, moving on to District 10. Introducing our female tribute, Aeris Hart!" Half the audience applauded as Aeris walked onstage, dressed in a black dress with pink ruffles grazing her knees. She stumbled a little in her pink heels, but she managed to make it to the chair without tripping over. She waved to Lindsey while checking to make sure her tightly curled blonde hair didn't fall out of place.

"Hi Lindsey," Aeris said, smiling with relief that her hair was okay.

"Hello, my dear," Lindsey replied, returning the grin. "You look adorable!"

"Thank you," Aeris said, her cheeks turning as pink as her shoes. The audience _Aww_ed in response, charmed by the District 10 girl's cuteness.

"Now Aeris, the audience and I would like to get to know you better, so…" Lindsey started. "What would you say are three words that best describe you?"

"Well…" Aeris said, her voice as cute as her dress. "I would say that I'm compassionate, I'm caring, and um…well, everyone back home says I'm a sweetheart, so let's go with that." Another round of _Aww_s from the audience, followed by some applause.

"Okay, very nice," Lindsey responded enthusiastically, happy to be interested in the tribute. "Can you tell us any interesting information about yourself?" Aeris paused to think, while a few people in the crowd shouted words of encouragement to her.

"Um…" Aeris began, still partly in thought. "I love chocolate. It's my favorite treat." A flurry of cheers and laughter could be heard from the audience. Lindsey put a hand to her heart and sighed.

"She's so cute!" she cried, with a few shouts of agreement in response. "Anyway, did you receive any advice from anyone about how to win the Games?" Aeris shook her head.

"Not…really," Aeris admitted. "Everyone just told me to please come home." More cheers and _Aww_s. Aeris couldn't help but giggle.

"That's so sweet," Lindsey said, gingerly rubbing one of her eyes to stop a potential tear from falling. "We all know that everyone wants to win, but why would you like to be the victor of this year's Hunger Games?"

"Because I'll be alive," Aeris answered, still with pep in her voice. "And I'll get to go home to my family and friends." The audience cheered yet again, actually forcing Lindsey to pause until they lowered their voices.

"We're almost out of time, but is there anything else you want to say?" Lindsey asked Aeris.

"I love you District 10!" Aeris exclaimed before the buzzer went off. Aeris received one final round of applause as she thanked Lindsey before leaving the stage.

"Alright, let's keep things going with our next tribute," Lindsey announced, re-crossing her legs again. "Also from District 10, Murphy Stock!" The applause for Aeris slowly faded out as Murphy walked out wearing a white tuxedo with black buttons, cuffs, and shoes. Lindsey admired the boy's attire as he sat beside her.

"Why hello there, Murphy," Lindsey greeted. Murphy mumbled a "Hello", before Lindsey continued. "Tell us about your experience here at the Capitol."

"It's been great," Murphy said, receiving some cheers in return. "We live in these really nice apartments, I love the food…yeah, the experience was great."

"What would winning the Games mean the most to you?" Lindsey questioned, staring at the District 10 boy intently.

"Surviving. I want to make it out alive," Murphy replied, to which there were a few more cheers. "I want to keep on living back home in District 10."

"Do you have a strategy for winning the Games?" Lindsey asked, only for Murphy to shrug and shake his head. "How do you think you'll act in the arena?"

"I may run off and hide, but if I think I can fight, I will," Murphy responded. More applause. "If I see an opportunity, I'll take it."

"Doesn't sound too bad," Lindsey commented, chipper as ever. "Do you think you'll make any alliances with the other tributes?"

"I don't know what they're all thinking," Murphy answered, a bit blunt. "I'm definitely open to it, but I'll have to see. If not, then at least I have my district partner to count on." The audience broke into obligatory applause, accepting this answer.

"Fair enough," Lindsey stated, when the time on the buzzer ran out. "We're out of time, but best of luck to you in the Games, Murphy." Murphy thanked her and left the stage, receiving a moderate reaction from the crowd. "Next up, from District 11 we have Naoko Chan!" People clapped as Naoko emerged from the backstage area, well dressed in an orchard gown with matching heels. Her dark hair was done up in an elegant, half-up, half-down hairdo, with curls cascading down her back. Her eyes were lit up with purple eye shadow, and her eyelashes were high enough to touch her eyebrows. Naoko was slightly stiff as the dress hugged her waist, but she was still graceful in gliding across the stage before sitting in the chair opposite Lindsey.

"Omigod, I love your dress!" Lindsey exclaimed, reaching out to run her fingers across the silk fabric. "That color is so pretty!"

"Thank you," Naoko responded, a big grin crossing her face. "It's my favorite color."

"Really? Mine too!" Lindsey squealed, gesturing to her own outfit. "I wear it almost all the time!" A few faint chuckles emanated from the crowd as Lindsey paused to clear her throat, before continuing. "So Naoko, what has impressed you the most since you arrived at the Capitol?"

"Definitely the wardrobe here," Naoko answered, the crowd cheering in response. "Back in District 11, our clothes are very plain, simple, and tattered, but here everyone is wearing these lavish, fancy outfits. Some of them I've seen are pretty crazy with matching hair and accessories. So, the clothes here for sure." Lindsey nodded in agreement, before giggling upon realizing she was doing so.

"The wardrobe here amazes me too, so I'm with you on that one," Lindsey stated. "Was there anything about the Capitol that surprised you?"

"No, the Capitol looks the same as how I've seen it," Naoko replied. "High-tech, lots of tall buildings, wealthy people, and a classy environment." The District 11 female smiled as more people cheered.

"Tell me how you felt when you found out you'd be competing," Lindsey said, her perfectly tweezed eyebrows raised with intrigue.

"Well, I was very sad to leave my family, especially my mom," Naoko responded, her smile slightly faltering. "Things have been exciting here, but I do want to get back to District 11. I've been missing everyone back home already." Lindsey and Naoko could barely make out a few _Aww_s from a small handful of Capitol women sitting in front row. Even Lindsey's bright grin was reduced to a half-smile.

"Well, I can tell you that I wish you all the best in that," Lindsey told the tribute girl, who nodded and muttered a quick "Thanks" as the buzzer went off. "Unfortunately our time is up, but thanks so much for being here, Naoko." The audience clapped and cheered as Naoko returned backstage. "Now, it's time to meet our District 11 male, so please welcome…Grant Fields!" The audience fell silent, some whispering among themselves as the District 11 male entered the stage, dressed in a yellow bedazzled polo and shimmering tan slacks, complete with yellow shoes and neatly slicked back hair.

"Oh my, look at you," Lindsey said, scrutinizing his outfit. Grant said nothing, so Lindsey proceeded with the interview. "So, how are you feeling about entering the arena?"

"Okay, I suppose," the tribute answered in a gruff voice. "It's not the greatest thing in the world, but I've gotten over the initial shock and worry." Some of the whispers in the crowd managed to reach Grant's ears, but he ignored them, staring at Lindsey with stony eyes.

"Okay then," Lindsey responded civilly, now well-adjusted to the dullness of some of the tributes. "Do you feel your life has changed since you were chosen for the Games?"

"Absolutely," Grant replied. "My life doesn't feel the same since reaping day. Of course, my life might be over soon, but-"

"Oh, don't say that," Lindsey cut him off. "You can't think like that. You have a chance to win, so you have to think positive." Grant refused to look at the audience, though he could still hear them whispering. Whispering about him.

"I suppose so…" Grant trailed, unfeeling.

"Anyway, do you have any plans for the Games?" Lindsey asked, now a tad more concerned than excited.

"Run, find food, find water, build a shelter…" Grant responded, tensing up with nerves. "Hopefully not die." A few people laughed, not that Grant cared. Lindsey forced herself to giggle.

"Yes, not dying is definitely a good thing when you're in the arena," Lindsey commented, moving a few locks of hair off her shoulder. "Anyway, here with the Hunger Games, we always say 'May the odds be ever in your favor'. Do you think the odds are in your favor?"

"Maybe, maybe not," the District 11 male answered coolly. "Only time will tell." By now the crowd was so quiet, anyone could hear a pin drop in the studio. They clearly did not like this tribute. There was an awkward silence onstage for a moment, before the buzzer finally rang.

"Grant Fields, ladies and gentlemen!" Lindsey announced, watching as Grant got up and left the stage. "Finally, we're on to District 12. Introducing Rosemary Wood!" Some people clapped as Rosemary emerged from the backstage area, decked out in a velvet red dress with glittery red pumps. Her brown hair was curled and weaved, falling down her back, while a shiny red headband rested on her head.

"Rosemary Wood…" Lindsey began, eyeing the District 12 girl up and down. "Aren't you the mayor's daughter?"

"Yes, that's me," Rosemary answered while sitting down. "My dad was hoping that I would be elected mayor of District 12 once he retired, so he wasn't too happy when those plans suddenly changed." Her dress was nearly the exact same shade as the chair, so she practically blended into her seat, leaving only her head and legs. Realizing this, Rosemary blushed and sat up sheepishly, thanking her stars that Lindsey didn't notice.

"Oh, I'll bet," Lindsey said, her eyes blinking to feign surprise. "My dad would surely feel the same way. He'd be ticked off!"

"That's exactly how my dad felt after the reaping," Rosemary commented with a chuckle. "I don't even want to know how he'd react if I didn't make it home."

"Completely understandable," Lindsey stated, both girls nodding. "So, I'm assuming that's your motivation you're using to win?"

"Yes. Absolutely," Rosemary answered, a hint of conviction in her otherwise sweet voice.

"Well, you received a good training score, so I'd say you're off to a good start," Lindsey said, quickly high-fiving Rosemary. "Were you expecting that?"

"Actually, no, I wasn't," Rosemary replied, another giggle escaping her lips. "I was happy with it though. Hopefully everyone back home was happy to see that."

"I'm sure they were," Lindsey assured the female tribute. "You're certainly a good candidate for sponsorship after that." A flurry of applause sounded from the audience, the first of their reactions since the interview began. They were quiet for the whole thing, but they seemed to be giving off a positive reaction to Rosemary, who only sat there and beamed with pride. "What would you say your odds are of winning the Games?"

"I would say that I have very good odds of winning," Rosemary answered, with more confidence in her voice. This made many people cheer even louder for her. Rosemary continued to soak up the applause, satisfied with how well the interview was going.

"That's the spirit, Rosemary!" Lindsey chimed energetically. "That's the way to think."

"You certainly are positive," Rosemary said with a playful smirk.

"Yes I am!" Lindsey replied, when time ran out on the buzzer. "Okay, we're out of time, but best of luck to you, Rosemary. Rosemary Wood, ladies and gentlemen!" Rosemary said "Thanks" and waved to the audience as she walked off the stage. "And now, our last tribute…Hamish Rembrandt!" Still excited about their interest in Rosemary, the crowd was still cheering when Hamish walked out, dressed in an all-black tuxedo, with sparkling black dust in his hair.

"Welcome, Hamish," Lindsey greeted, shaking the boy's hand once he sat down. "Glad to have you here."

"Well, it's nice to be here," Hamish responded, nodding in acknowledgement at the audience.

"Oh, that's good," Lindsey said, winking at Hamish. "So you like being here at the Capitol?"

"It was a little overwhelming at first, luckily Rosemary's been here with me," Hamish started. "But otherwise I do like being here. I've had a nice visit so far." The crowd was cheery as ever, as they continued to applaud the District 12 male.

"Glad to hear it," Lindsey said, giving Hamish a thumbs-up. "What's your strategy for winning the Games?"

"That's easy. Not having one!" Hamish answered proudly, with some people chuckling, Lindsey included. "No, really, I'm just going to survive off whatever I can find that doesn't kill me, and do my best to avoid the other tributes."

"Good plan, Hamish," Lindsey responded, while the crowd continued to cheer. "Do you think you're ready for the Games?"

"Yes I do," Hamish replied, nodding vigorously. Lindsey glanced over at the time on the buzzer, right when it ran out.

"Well, our time is up here, but we'll be seeing you in the arena, Hamish," Lindsey said, turning back and shaking the boy's hand one more time. "Best of luck to you." Hamish nodded and walked off the stage. "Well, that's it for interviews, everyone!" Lindsey announced to the crowd. "We've met all the tributes, and tomorrow the Games begin! We'll see you then, but for now, good night." The audience stood up in a standing ovation, cheering for Lindsey as she took a bow before walking offstage herself. The interview host smiled to herself. That certainly went well.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Prepare For Launch

_Later that evening…_

With his interview outfit carelessly flung onto his bed, Darien changed into some comfier clothes, a red t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and black and white sneakers. Ariani had already gone to bed, and both their escort and stylists were out running errands, so he was alone with his thoughts. He paced around the room, deciding whether to go to bed or to sift through his thoughts. He chose the latter, considering he couldn't sleep anyway. The Hunger Games would begin tomorrow and his stomach was in knots over it. He had to get out. He couldn't go in there only to be massacred by the Careers. But there was no way out. Was there?

Wait. There was hope. There was hope for him to escape. He had an idea! Darien crept out of the District 8 living quarters before running outside onto the balcony. Luckily there were no guards or other tributes, so Darien had the place to himself. There was an apparent lack of darkness, as the Capitol buildings were illuminated by neon lights. Down below, the streets were mostly empty, save for a few stragglers who were still on their way home after a night out on the town. Darien knew that jumping from this high off the ground would probably result in his death, which was fine considering that there was one giant force field lining the edge of the balcony anyway. Luckily there was another way to go about it. Darien struggled with footing at first, but soon he managed to climb on top of the air ventilation shaft lodged in the corner of the balcony, perfectly fitting in like a puzzle piece. The ventilation shaft was pretty tall, so Darien wondered if he could make it past the force field due to the its height. There was only one way to find out. He crouched down as he shifted his body to face the neighboring building with a similar looking roof. The two skyscrapers were practically glued together, so this should be an easy jump. However, Darien wanted to time it properly so that he could have as much air as possible, in hopes of overcoming the force field obstacle. He took a deep breath as he repositioned himself, before launching himself off the ventilation shaft and into the air, before gracefully landing and rolling over on the roof of the next building.

_Phew! I made it._ _Wait…_ Did he make it past the force field? Darien paused to see if a blast of psychic energy would throw him back onto the balcony where he once was, but when none came, he breathed a sigh of relief. He started to wonder how he was going to descend to the ground, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a rusted glint hanging off the side. He turned around, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw a fire escape a few feet away. He smiled at his luck as he climbed down the fire escape, thanking his lucky stars that the fire escape was long enough for him to reach the ground without breaking any bones.

The moment his feet touched the pavement, he took off running. Away from the training center, the arena, and most likely his death. Between the darkness and the lack of Peacekeepers roaming around, Darien was unstoppable. Despite the brightness of the Capitol, Darien used his stealth to be covered by the shadows of the unlit areas. Darien ran for so long that he actually made it out of the city, his heels no longer clacking against the concrete but instead thumping in the grass. Darien waited until the Capitol was far behind him before he stopped for a breather. The only things Darien could see ahead were trees, bushes, and whatever game was lurking in between them. He guessed that he was entering the forest that was blocked off from the outlying districts, but he didn't have much clue as to where he was. Still, it was better than being trapped in the Capitol. Darien continued deeper into the forest, the night increasing in darkness now that the Capitol's bright lights were behind him.

Darien's feet began to drag along the grass as he grew tired, so he decided to travel a few more feet before settling on a resting place for the night. He jumped up and began climbing one of the trees surrounding him, pushing himself halfway up the tree before reaching a branch that was thick enough to hold his weight. He steadied himself as he leaned back against the trunk to get situated. He stared up at the moonlit sky for a few minutes, before he smiled again and closed his eyes. He could finally say it. He was free.

* * *

The next morning, Aeris gulped as her stylist walked her to the launch room. Today was the day. She was entering the arena. A few days ago at training, she and Naoko had discussed a strategy going into the bloodbath (all of which were Naoko's ideas, of course, since Aeris had none). Both of them would flee the bloodbath when the gong sounded, but towards the end of the carnage they would split up and sneak into the Cornucopia from each side to grab food, weapons, and other supplies. Aeris reviewed the plan in her head while her stylist nudged her towards the circular metal place that would bring her up into the arena. It was a good plan. Aeris only hoped that she wouldn't mess up and get herself killed for her family and the rest of the country to see.

"Don't forget this." Aeris turned as Natalia handed her a tiny trinket. It was a tiny charm in the image of a cow, a part of her mother's charm bracelet before it had fallen off due to its age. Aeris smiled; it reminded her of her pet cow, Lucy, back home. Aeris' smile didn't last long. She started to miss Lucy. She was her best friend besides her mom, who was now caring for Lucy until Aeris returned home - _if_ she returned home.

"Thanks." Aeris graciously took the charm and stuffed it in the pocket of her jacket. In addition to missing her pet cow, Aeris was missing her family even more now. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was most likely not going to make it home. Aeris sniffled as a pang of sadness struck her heart. Before she even realized it, she burst into tears. Natalia ran over and gave Aeris a hug. If she didn't feel sorry for her and the other tributes before, she certainly did now.

"There, there, don't cry," Natalia said soothingly, using her freshly painted green nails to wipe off Aeris' tears. "Be strong. Don't think that just because you're twelve you don't have a shot at winning this, because you have just as good of a chance as everybody else. You can do this."

"T-Thanks," Aeris responded, sniffling and letting out a small hiccup as she latched onto Natalia for support. "You're the best, Natalia." Aeris and Natalia remained locked in their friendly embrace for another moment, before slowly breaking away.

"Prepare for launch," a female voice said through the intercom. Aeris rubbed her eyes to dry the rest of her tears before turning around and stepping onto the metal plate. The District 10 girl bit her lip nervously as she waved goodbye to the kind-hearted Natalia.

"B-Bye Natalia," Aeris mumbled, still gazing at her stylist as the glass cylinder lowered, securing her inside.

"Good luck, little one," Natalia replied, waving back. "Remember, you can do this." Aeris couldn't help but smile, even more so when Natalia blew a few air kisses and gave her a quick thumbs-up.

* * *

Darien woke up leisurely, running a hand through his slightly messy hair and scratching his back as he looked down below him. The forest was as green and empty as it was when he first hid here last night. Darien sat up in a sitting position as he contemplated where to go next. He obviously couldn't go home, otherwise Peacekeepers would recognize him and ship him back to the Capitol, and returning to the Capitol was definitely out of the question as well. The only thing he could really do was leave Panem altogether. Wander through the woods and survive off the land until he either found or started another civilization. He may as well get a move on to widen the distance between him and the Capitol, so he carefully climbed down the tree and began running. Luckily he wasn't hungry yet, thanks to the big dinner he had before running away, so he was free to travel as long and far as he could before his stomach began rumbling. Darien ran through the woods, the tiny woodland animals hiding from him as he passed by. He wondered when and where he would find land that was not a part of Panem, but he figured it had to take some time. He covered a large portion of the woods as he continued running for what felt like hours, before reaching the edge of the forest and stumbling upon a plain grassland area. Was this a part of Panem? Or had he left the country already? He stopped to catch his breath and think, when it suddenly became windier. Darien thought nothing of it at first, but the winds soon startled him as they became more gusty and turbulent.

He was ready to contemplate the weather patterns of Panem, when he glanced up at the sky and found the source of the wind. Much to his horror, a helicopter was flying past, practically looming over him like a dark cloud. Darien turned around and retreated back inside the woods, but the air was still windy, so the helicopter must have been following him. He sidestepped past some fallen branches and ducked behind two trees that stood close together. Darien held his breath and silently prayed that he would remain undetected. However, his prayers were ignored when he heard loud voices behind him.

"Hey you! Where do you think you're going?!" Darien turned his head and saw a pack of Peacekeepers charging towards him, loaded guns in hand. The District 8 boy turned yet again and ran once more in the opposite direction, faster than he had before. He barely cleared half a mile before the Peacekeepers pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. Darien received a face full of dirt and grass as two Peacekeepers grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet, before ushering him out of the woods. The helicopter had landed and was waiting for them in the grassy area, quickly taking off once more once the escaped tribute and guards had boarded. Darien, ignoring the dirty glares the Peacekeepers were shooting at him, mentally cursed himself as he was loaded into the aircraft, and continued to do so all the way back to the Capitol, where the dreaded Hunger Games awaited him.

* * *

The tributes were now ready for launch. Even Darien had been carted back to the Capitol in time for the start of the Games. They finished saying goodbye to their stylists and adjusting their attire, and were sealed inside their glass cylinders, standing on their metal plates. The countdown began as the cylinders started lifting the tributes inside the arena. The tributes were brought into a forestland arena, where trees, bushes, and other greenery popped up everywhere. The arena was darkened by the shadows the trees cast on the ground, save for the Cornucopia, which was merely plain grassland. The number of seconds decreased as the tributes peeked at one another, scrutinizing and sizing each other up. With the exception of a few strong tributes who seemed eager for battle, everyone looked terrified. Tension filled the arena as the numbers lowered, before reaching zero.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 2nd annual Hunger Games begin!"

Then the gong sounded.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Bloodbath Begins

Just like that, the tributes were off. They leapt off their metal plates and began running to the Cornucopia. Cyrus, the District 4 male, was the first to reach it, wasting no time in grabbing a large sword before turning around and charging at his opponents.

"I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!" the brute yelled, thrusting his sword into the chest of the District 5 male, who yelped before flopping to the ground, dying instantly.

"Ivan!" Kelilyn, his district partner, cried, before running off to avoid Cyrus turning on her. Cyrus whirled around to face the Oliver and raised his weapon, a menacing grin on his face as he prepared to charge. Oliver's eyes widened and the District 3 male screamed his head off as he bolted from the Cornucopia. Cyrus pouted for a moment, but he shrugged and instead turned to strike at the District 7 male, slashing through almost his entire body and killing him instantaneously. Diamond and Silver had each picked up an axe, and were now ganging up on the District 9 male, bludgeoning his chest and stomach. Diamond delivered the fatal blow, before stopping to look at her hand and letting out an irritated sigh.

"Ugh, I broke a nail!" the District 1 girl whined. "Great!" Silver rolled his eyes before turning to slash at the District 4 girl, who barely dodged as she took off running, with a small yellow backpack slung over her shoulder. Naoko had snuck out of the bloodbath undetected, and Aeris was following close behind when she realized that she had picked up a pair of throwing knives. She spotted her district partner out of the corner of her eye, and she turned around to see Regan and Cyrus advancing on him.

"Don't worry, Murphy, I got your back!" Aeris held up one of her knives and took aim, only to watch as Cyrus stabbed him in the chest. "Oh, they had your front." Aeris lowered the knife when she saw Murphy drop dead, before turning back around and retreating into the woods, where she would meet Naoko. Rosemary slipped inside the Cornucopia, luckily unnoticed by the other tributes, and grabbed a backpack and a pair of dual swords. Still without being seen, she held up her swords in defense as she peered at the carnage around her. Fight…or flight?

"Screw this; I'm getting out of here." Rosemary gingerly crept behind Regan, who had just speared the District 7 girl, before dashing out of the Cornucopia and escaping into the woods. After tiptoeing around tyrants like Cyrus and stepping over the dead bodies of the boys from 9 and 10, Darien had reached the mouth of the Cornucopia, when he stubbed his toe on a wooden handle. Not feeling any pain, without skipping a beat Darien looked down and saw two axes lying side by side amidst a dozen backpacks. After looking over his shoulder to make sure that everyone was too busy to attack him, he bent down and picked up both axes, feeling them in each of his hands to decide which one was better for combat. After choosing a smaller, thinner axe, he shrugged and tossed the other weapon over his shoulder to discard it. He also grabbed a backpack before he took off into the woods, not seeing the axe he threw over his shoulder bury itself inside the head of the District 11 boy, who was only trying to escape as well before being killed on the axe's impact.

"Ugh, I broke _another_ nail!" Diamond cried in anguish. She had been exchanging blows with the girl from District 8 when she slashed at Diamond's hand. Though she missed, the tip of the blade of her sword chipped another of the District 1 girl's nails. Diamond immediately stopped to check her nails, and growing tired from the fighting, Ariani took the opportunity to escape the bloodbath while Diamond was distracted. "Silver let's get out of here!"

"Ugh, fine," Silver said, after slicing the District 6 male's torso open. "I've had enough of this anyway." The District 6 boy tried to block Silver's next attack, but Silver managed to swing his axe around the other boy's sword, and cut his stomach even deeper, nearly chopping him in half. "Let's go." With that, Diamond and Silver left the bloodbath, leaving Silver's last opponent bleeding out on the ground. As the District 1 duo was leaving, Aeris and Naoko were sneaking back inside the Cornucopia, one of them hiding on each side of the giant golden structure.

"Grab as many supplies as you can carry. I'll cover you," Naoko told her ally. Aeris nodded and handed Naoko her throwing knives before practically diving into the pile of supplies. Aeris grabbed a tent, a tarp, and a bag of food, when Naoko saw the District 6 girl heading their way. Naoko bit her lip to stop herself from shrieking as Lucille hurled an axe at her, before running at them with another at the ready.

"Oh no you don't!" Naoko exclaimed, using one knife to deflect the flying axe and firing the other at Lucille's chest. It was a perfect shot. The knife pierced the District 6 girl's heart, and she was down as quickly as she attacked. Aeris' arms were full of supplies by now, while Naoko stopped to examine Lucille's body to make sure she was really dead.

"Phew! Okay we're good," Naoko said, turning back to Aeris. "Let's go." Naoko carefully took the tent and tarp from Aeris' hands before they took off once again, lucky enough to leave the bloodbath a second time without being spotted. The Cornucopia soon fell quiet as the fighting gradually ceased.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the bloodbath of the 2nd annual Hunger Games."

Caius was reaching down and grabbing a bow and arrow set when he heard the voice of the announcer from above. He hung the quiver of arrows around his shoulder and clutched the bow tight as he turned to look around. Most of the tributes who weren't killed had already fled, save for Cyrus and a few other stragglers. The helicopters started to collect the dead tributes, while Cyrus climbed to the top of the Cornucopia to officially claim his control of the territory. The District 2 male couldn't help but notice his district partner and ex-girlfriend Regan creeping inside the Cornucopia and hiding, somewhat taking control of the area as well, but he thought nothing of it. Caius shrugged before turning and running off with his new weapon in search of a place to settle into.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Most Beautiful Girl

After escaping the bloodbath a little too easily, Rosemary continued to run for her life, sprinting as far as her legs could carry her. She didn't realize how fast she was running, or how far she had actually gone, but all that mattered to her was getting as far away from everyone else as possible. She ran so far and so long that by the time she grew tired and her body forced her to stop, she was almost on the other side of the arena. Seeing the edge of the arena, she decided that she was a good enough distance away from anyone and allowed herself to sit down for a moment. Her legs sore and feeling like jelly, she nearly flopped onto a large boulder near the river. She rested her dual swords beside her as she opened the backpack and began searching through it, glancing at each item for a moment before placing it back inside the backpack. She found a piece of flint, a small, thin tarp, a soft, wool blanket, an apple, and a ham sandwich. She nodded in approval at the contents of her bag, satisfied with what she ended up with. Her stomach was growling with hunger, so she figured she'd eat the sandwich now while she was taking a break. She munched on her sandwich thoughtfully, as her mind reflected on her interview, training, all the way back to the reaping. She thought about how Hamish eagerly shook her hand, and then how he smiled and winked at her after her interview. Her friend Priscilla, as well as some of Hamish's friends even, claimed that Hamish had a crush on Rosemary, but she always brushed it off and dismissed their words as rumors. She never saw any signs of Hamish having any interest in her, unless she was subconsciously ignoring them. But now here they were in the arena together.

A tracker jacker's nest hung from a nearby tree while she devoured her food, not to her knowledge. Feeling better after eating, Rosemary decided to grab her stuff and keep walking to find additional food and a place to sleep. She came across a tree with unusually colored berries hanging from some of its branches, when a tracker jacker flew out from the comfort of its nest and towards the District 12 girl. Rosemary noticed the mutt's presence when it buzzed and flew around her face.

"Ack! Hey go away," Rosemary said, swatting at the tracker jacker and yelping in pain when she felt it sting her arm. "Ow!" The tracker jacker continued to hover over Rosemary's head, but she broke into a run and it flew right past her. Luckily the mutt wasn't following her, but she kept running anyway just in case, when suddenly her vision became blurred and distorted. She saw her surroundings in different colors with an animated twist before everything was replaced with a black and white fuzzy pattern that appears on a TV screen that isn't working. Rosemary could barely hear herself groan as she gradually became delirious. She didn't even bother to register the pink elephant that randomly pranced by because she knew what was happening to her. She could barely make out her own arm in front of her when she pulled out the barbed stinger, mentally cursing herself for not being observant enough to notice the tracker jacker nest. She needed to find the leaves to treat herself, and fast, but her vision was starting to blacken. Instead she dropped to the ground and passed out in a small patch of assorted wildflowers.

* * *

"Silver, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Now that the bloodbath was over, Diamond and Silver were sneaking back into the Cornucopia to claim food and a few supplies for their little camp (wherever it was going to be). With them out of the woods, the sunlight glistened on their blonde hair, producing a glare that could have blinded anyone. Cyrus was standing proudly on top of the golden structure, looking out across the arena and eagerly watching for tributes to slaughter.

"Yes. We have to do it," Silver answered, the two of them hiding behind the Cornucopia and checking to make sure the coast was clear. "We need supplies if we're going to survive in here."

"But why do _I _have to go in too?" Diamond whined, as the two inched closer to the mouth of the Cornucopia. "Can't I just wait back there or something?"

"No. I need you to help me grab stuff," Silver replied, rather harshly. "Besides, you'd probably do something stupid to get yourself killed."

"Hey!" Diamond cried out in protest, but Silver rolled his eyes and ignored her. The District 1 duo stood on their toes as they crept inside the Cornucopia, watching Cyrus and hoping he wasn't looking their way. They prayed that the District 4 male wouldn't notice them as they bent down and began gathering backpacks and bags of food, Silver even picking up an extra axe. After a minute or two of digging around for stuff, the siblings carefully stood up, both of them carrying armfuls of necessities and other supplies.

"Okay, I think we have enough here," Silver said, scrutinizing the items in Diamond's French-manicured hands. "This stuff should last us for a few days, and when we run out, we'll just make another trip and come back for more. Now, let's go." Diamond nodded, and the two of them gingerly stepped over other supplies as they tiptoed out of the Cornucopia, holding on tightly to their stuff.

"Hey! What do you think YOU'RE doing?!" Diamond and Silver froze in place, and slowly craned their necks to see Cyrus glaring down at them, arms crossed in a huff. The pair of siblings just as slowly turned back to each other, exchanging worried glances.

"Oh crap," Silver said, his and Diamond's mouths agape in shock. "He saw us." Sword in hand, Cyrus jumped off the Cornucopia and charged at the District 1 tributes.

"Run!" Diamond shrieked. They accidentally chucked some of their things in surprise as they took off running, screaming their heads off while Cyrus chased after them. With only two backpacks and the additional axe between them, Diamond and Silver kept running long after they escaped into the woods, though Cyrus had stopped once they disappeared behind the trees. Deciding that his control over the Cornucopia was more important for now, Cyrus let them go and returned to his spot at the top of the large structure, grinning smugly at having scared them away at least.

Meanwhile, Regan had run off to clean her blood-stained spear in the river after the bloodbath. With her weapon fresh and clean and ready for more battle, Regan returned to the Cornucopia to find Cyrus chasing away the District 1 tributes, who apparently had snuck into the Cornucopia to take more supplies. Regan hid behind a boulder outside the woods to avoid losing her own control of the area, though she giggled at the backpacks and other supplies that were lying around after Diamond and Silver dropped them. Regan had to admit - they were stupid, but they were pretty funny. She was sure both Capitol and district residents alike were finding them entertaining. She did at least. Even though Cyrus went back to hanging out on top of the Cornucopia, Regan decided to stay away from it for a little bit to avoid getting caught herself, so she leaned back against the side of the boulder and thought about her next move.

The District 1 tributes were obviously allies, and seeing them together reminded Regan of something. She needed an ally. At least while there were still quite a few tributes left in the Games. She should probably find an ally now before everyone paired off or grouped up, but who could she work with?

As much fun as the District 1 siblings were to watch, she knew their stupidity could lead her to trouble, so that wasn't a good idea. Cyrus would kill her if he saw her, so that was out as well. Regan remembered that the District 4 girl was still alive, but she dismissed her as well for being on the weaker side, thus eliminating any possibilities of a Career alliance. Regan thought about a few other tributes, only to rule them out as well, when it finally hit her.

Caius.

Caius. Of course! Who better to trust than your own district partner? Sure, he was her ex-boyfriend, but he was by himself too, so forming an alliance might help them to survive - maybe win. She just had to find him. She saw him leave the Cornucopia when the bloodbath ended, but where he went, she didn't know. She thought back to the bloodbath as she played it out in her mind. When it was over, she was hiding in the Cornucopia when she caught a quick glance of Caius before he ran off, heading east.

That's it! He went east. Perfect. Now knowing where she had to go, Regan strapped on her backpack and picked up her spear, ready to head off and look for Caius. She left her hiding spot and ran around the Cornucopia, too fast for Cyrus to spot her, before running into the woods on the east side of the arena to begin her search. Her ponytail bounced behind her with every step as she ran deeper and deeper into the forest. She darted past trees and bushes and searched every open and hidden space, eager to find Caius.

* * *

Speaking of Caius, the District 2 male was running in the heart of the woods, stumbling around in the dark due to the trees blocking off the sunlight. He could barely see where he was going, and he didn't even know where he was. He guessed that he was about halfway across the arena, judging from the distance from there back to the Cornucopia where he started. He continued running, until he felt himself lurch forward and fall. He had tripped on a log and rolled down a small hill, landing roughly on his stomach. He grunted and mumbled an "Ow", as he pressed down on the ground and pushed himself to his feet. A tad sore from the fall, Caius decided to slow his pace as he continued walking, when he saw the smallest ray of light poking out between two large bushes. Caius strolled over and pushed past the bushes, revealing…

More bushes. And trees. He was still in the forest, but the small light from the surrounding force field indicated that he had reached the edge of the arena. Caius wanted so much to try and disable the force field so he can escape the arena, but he remembered how the District 3 male attempted it the year before and was electrocuted to death as a result. So Caius decided against the idea and settled for walking along the arena's edge as a safer alternative. He probably wasn't tech-smart enough to know how to do it anyway. Caius walked a few yards west, when he heard soft breathing sounds. Caius stopped in his tracks, startled by the noise but curious about its source. He stood there motionless, listening for the sound despite the fact that it was barely audible. Caius guessed it was snoring, but to him it also sounded like panting or sighing. Either way, it meant one thing. Another tribute was nearby.

After lingering on the sidelines during the bloodbath, Caius realized that this was his chance to make his first kill in the Games. Caius had long resolved to fight it out in the arena on his own - after all, only one tribute will come out alive - so whoever it was, Caius was going to kill them on a sneak attack. The quiet sounds Caius was hearing grew louder as Caius walked a few feet, pulling out his bow and an arrow as he drew closer to whoever it was he was about to kill. The adrenaline began pumping with his blood as he took aim, his eyes darting around in search of his target. Caius slowly turned his head, and he saw a body lying motionless, save for the rising and falling of their chest, on the ground. He pointed his arrow at the sleeping tribute as he took another step forward for a closer look. However, he wasn't ready for this after all.

Lying there, sound asleep in a bed of wildflowers, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: What's Inside the Arena

His footsteps crunched from the twigs and leaves he's running over. The wind flowed through his arms as he flailed them around. Oliver was bolting through the woods, screaming in terror as he looked over his shoulder every few seconds. Nothing was coming for a few miles, but he was terrified anyway. He shrieked at a tracker-jacker's nest that hung in a tree several feet above him. He yelped when a tree branch broke off and hit him on the head, believing it to be another tribute attacking him. He gasped at the sight of his own shadow. All of which only made him run faster. Oliver had convinced himself that he was going to die in here. He just didn't know when. He wanted to put it off as long as possible, so he had to avoid everything and everyone.

Not realizing that he was far away from danger for the time being, Oliver screamed his head off until his throat was incredibly sore. He was sweating like crazy, and he felt as though he was ready to pee his pants. Unable to run anymore, he slowed to a stop in the middle of the woods and looked down.

He actually did pee his pants.

"Aw, crap," the District 3 male muttered under his breath, staring at the dark stain on his pants in disbelief. A few swear words slipped out as he took off running again, searching for a way to set up camp and dry his pants.

* * *

Caius stood there, gazing down at the sleeping girl for some time. He recognized her as the District 12 girl, who had scored a nine in training, but he couldn't remember her name. He would make a point to learn it when she woke up. He didn't pull his eyes away from the girl's face for what felt like the longest time, until his mind started buzzing with thoughts. _Caius, you're being creepy. If you're not going to kill her then maybe fix her wound or something…_

"What wound?" he asked himself. His eyes traveled from her face to her upper body, until they stopped at her left arm. It was swelled to the size of a plum, with some kind of green liquid oozing out of a tiny entry hole. Caius recognized this injury as a tracker jacker sting, and he was filled with a sense of urgency. He signaled for her to stay there, though she wasn't awake to respond, before running off in search of treatment. Luckily she must have pulled out the barbed stinger before she passed out, so all Caius had to do was find the leaves needed to treat her. Now, where were they…?

"There they are," Caius said, picking up a pile of the leaves he was looking for, and crushing them in his hands while running back to the girl. Upon reaching her, he bent down and applied the leaves to her tracker jacker injury. He watched as the leaves absorbed some of the poison and the swelling partially went down. Relieved by seeing signs of healing, Caius decided to leave her alone until she woke up. He didn't have any food on them, but he noticed a tree nearby with berries hanging off some of its branches. After checking them and confirming that they weren't poisonous, Caius helped himself to a handful of berries. They were a bit sweet, but Caius only tasted it for a moment. After munching on the berries, Caius leaned against the berry tree and pulled out his arrows to count them. He held a large handful of them, and just as Caius figured, he counted twelve arrows in total. Smiling with satisfaction at his luck, Caius put away his arrows and contemplated what to do next, when he heard inaudible mumbling. Slightly startled by the sound after lingering in silence for so long, Caius turned to glance at the girl. She was stirring.

"Ugh…what…" Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, her back to Caius making her unaware of his presence. She glanced down at her arm, and she blinked in surprise to see several crushed leaves covering her tracker jacker wound, nearly stunning her more than the actual sting. "Huh?" Still sitting in the bed of wildflowers, she glanced around full circle, until finally her eyes fell to Caius. "Who are you?" Her voice wasn't demanding, merely curious and slightly dazed from the tracker jacker sting. Caius smiled shyly and bent down beside her, perched on one knee.

"Hi," the District 2 male greeted. "I'm Caius."

"Rosemary." Rosemary. That was her name. Caius thought it was a beautiful name. Rosemary gazed up at Caius in wonder, still surprised to see him there and even more so that he wasn't looking for a fight. Rosemary's arm brushed against a flower, causing one of the leaves to fall off. Caius reached out and picked it up, carefully placing it back on her arm.

"Here, leave those on for now," Caius advised, lightly pressing the leaves to her wound. "They're for treating your injury. They draw out the poison from the sting so it'll heal faster."

"O-Oh…wow," Rosemary remarked, glancing from her arm to Caius. "Thanks." Rosemary's lips curled up into a smile, and the District 2 boy grinned a little more as they fell into a brief silence. Caius ran a hand through his dark hair and took a deep breath, before beginning again.

"So…I've changed my mind," Caius blurted out, continuing on before he had a chance to stop. "I thought I was going to do this alone. I thought that was the better choice. But now that I've met you, I feel like going through this alone wouldn't be the best thing. Maybe I should have an ally out here, at least for companionship. Would you want an ally too?" Rosemary nodded.

"Yeah, I would…" she answered, blinking in surprise when she realized what he was asking. "So…are we allies?" Caius smiled.

"Yes. Allies."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, the sun was starting to set while Naoko and Aeris were setting up camp. Together they pitched the tent and draped their tarp over it for an extra layer between them and the weather. Their tent was hidden under a giant tree with long branches that extended to the ground, with the leaves on the branches serving as a makeshift curtain. The tree made great camouflage, so the girls jumped at the chance to utilize it. Aeris was storing their food and weapons inside the tent, while Naoko got to work on starting a fire. Aeris placed their weapons next to their sleeping area, when she heard Naoko call to her from outside.

"Hey, Aeris, come check this out!"

Now that she was finished unloading their stuff from the Cornucopia, Aeris hurried outside to where Naoko had started their fire. Naoko was poking at the embers with a stick to make the fire bigger, when she pointed to a hole in the tree next to her. Aeris followed Naoko's gaze, and saw that poking out of the tree hole was a camera, one of many set up in the arena to watch every tribute's every move.

"Ooh…" Aeris commented, marveling over the camera, technology she'd never seen before back in District 10. "Shiny…"

"I know what we should do," Naoko said, grinning at her ally and raising her eyebrows mischievously. Aeris turned to the District 11 girl, and seeing her smile instantly made her smile back. She knew they were thinking the exact same thing. Aeris nodded and the two walked up to the tree hole where they camera was planted. They bent down so they were on camera and stared directly into the lens, before proceeding to make silly faces at the camera and then burst out laughing at themselves. Naoko made a kissy face at the camera, while Aeris made a fish face, both of them smiling at the fun they were having. They kept it up for almost ten minutes before the camera eventually retracted into the tree hole, out of sight and off of them. When the two girls realized it, they were practically rolling on the ground in giggle fits. Once their laughter subsided, Naoko and Aeris clambered to their feet, when Naoko noticed that the fire she made had died out.

"Aww, the fire went out," Naoko said, pouting for a moment before shrugging it off. "Oh well. I'll just start a new one later." Aeris was about to grab some food from the tent for them to have dinner, when Naoko's eyes brightened as she thought of an idea. "Hey, why don't we go exploring? We can check out the environment and see what's in our area."

"Sure! Great idea!" Aeris replied with a nod. "Let's go!"

"Okay! We'll go this way first," Naoko said, pointing west, and the two of them set off to explore the arena. They weren't just tributes; they were adventurers.

* * *

Later on, in the far outskirts of the forest, Diamond and Silver were lying under the stars, curled up in two matching black sleeping bags under a tree. They were surrounded by the supplies they managed to make out with before being chased away by Cyrus. The sun had gone down and day turned to night, and the District 1 siblings were ready to hit the hay. A few crickets were chirping in the background, echoing the silence in the woods.

"Good night, Diamond," Silver said in his obnoxious singsong voice.

"Shut up," was the response he received in return. Diamond and Silver had started to fall asleep when the blaring sound of the Panem national anthem began blasting throughout the arena, startling them both awake.

"Ack! What the heck?!" Diamond sputtered, yelping in surprise by the sudden loud noise. "Ugh, so annoying." The District 1 female rolled her eyes, when she and her brother looked up at the Capitol seal floating in the sky. "Oh, great. Here we go…" Diamond was tracing her finger over the band of the ring her mother gave her for her token, a common habit of hers that indicated her boredom. Day One was officially over, and it was time to watch the death recap.

"This should be interesting," Silver said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows to feign interest. "Except for the fact that I don't really care." Diamond snorted as the two of them sat back and watched the faces of the dead tributes flash on the screen.

The first face to appear was that of the District 5 male, the very first death of the Games during the bloodbath. Obviously the pair of siblings knew they both made it, since they were lying right next to each other. As for everyone else, they didn't really matter. Next came both tributes from 6 and 7 (Silver giving an approving nod as he recognized the boy from 6 as one of his kills), followed by the boys from 9, 10, and 11. No other faces appeared in the sky, so that totaled eight dead tributes. Their faces reappeared on the screen once more before being replaced by the Capitol seal. Diamond yawned as the last musical flourish of the anthem slowly faded out, before the sky went dark for the night.

"Glad that's over. How dare they keep me from my beauty sleep," Diamond muttered, turning over and starting to drift off to sleep. Before she could, however, the sound of her brother's voice kept her awake for a little bit longer.

"Diamond," Silver whispered to her. It was too dark for Silver to see her shooting him a dirty look, but she could hear him snickering to himself.

"What?"

"I see dead people."

Diamond rolled her eyes and turned the other way, away from her brother, to try and go to sleep. Silver was still chuckling as he nestled deeper into his sleeping bag, his laughter soon fading to silence as he too fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: District Partner Deaths

Rosemary opened her eyes early the next morning, pushing herself into a sitting position. The sun was coming up, lighting up parts of the arena that weren't blocked by trees. Rosemary yawned as she turned her body, looking around for Caius. He had been sleeping right beside her when she fell asleep, but now she noticed that he wasn't there anymore. Had he ditched her? Had he changed his mind about being her ally? Rosemary hoped not.

The District 12 female stood up and walked around for a bit, until she found Caius a few yards away. He was busy hunting, armed with his bow and arrow as he searched for a target.

"What's up, Caius?" Rosemary asked him. The District 2 male lowered his bow and turned to Rosemary.

"Not much. Just trying to find breakfast," he answered, turning towards a tree and deciding to settle for berries.

"I have an apple if you want half," Rosemary offered, while Caius was plucking berries off the tree. He handed a few to her, and she graciously accepted them and ate them.

"That's okay," Caius replied, running a hand across his face to brush a few strands of hair off it. "You don't have to share."

"No, really, it's fine. One second." She walked back to their sleeping area and pulled the apple out of her backpack. She knelt down and placed the piece of fruit on the backpack to use as a cutting board while she grabbed one of her dual swords. She balanced the sword and the apple for a second before she cut through the apple, slicing it perfectly in half. She turned to return to Caius with the apple slice for him, when she saw him standing behind her, having given up on hunting for now. He smiled and thanked Rosemary when she handed him his half of the apple, and the two munched on the fruit together. Both of them had finished eating and were thinking of what to do next, when they heard footsteps from behind the trees. Rosemary froze, save for her head whipping around in the footsteps' direction.

"What was that?" she whispered to Caius, who shrugged and grabbed his bow.

"Rosemary!" a boy's voice called. Rustling of leaves and snapping of branches were heard, before the District 12 male emerged from the woods. Rosemary raised her eyebrows in surprise, immediately recognizing her district partner.

"Hamish…?" she questioned, stunned that he had found her (and Caius) in this section of the arena. Usually it took almost two days to reach the edge of the arena. Rosemary and Caius were just lucky, but what brought Hamish here?

"Rosemary!" Hamish called again, smiling and waving at Rosemary as he ran over to her. "There you are! I'm so glad I found y-" Hamish was stopped dead in his tracks when an arrow zipped through the air and pierced his heart. Rosemary's jaw opened in surprise, and she looked over at Caius, who she knew had shot the arrow.

"Caius!" Rosemary exclaimed, dazed by what had just happened. Hamish had dropped to the ground on his knees, sputtering and gasping for air when Caius marched up to him, reaching for his arrow.

"Sorry dude, but she's mine," Caius whispered audaciously, yanking the arrow out of Hamish's chest and walking back to Rosemary.

"Caius, why did you do that?" his ally asked in disbelief. "He's my district partner!"

"I'm sorry, Rosemary, I had to do it," he answered, playing it down like nothing while they watched Hamish collapse completely, bleeding out quickly. "I didn't trust him. He probably would've tried to kill me so that he could be allies with you." Rosemary guiltily stared down at Hamish's crumpled body, when his cannon boomed moments later. "If it makes you feel any better, he probably would have gotten on your nerves anyway." As much as she tried not to, Rosemary smirked.

"You're probably right," she responded, forcing back a laugh. She knew that Hamish was a nice guy, but from the way he stared at her in school and followed her everywhere in training, she concluded that he was kind of creepy, so Caius had a valid point.

"Come on," Caius said, motioning for Rosemary to follow him. "Let's go see if we can find _some_ food."

"Okay." Rosemary nodded and stuffed the wool blanket she and Caius were using in her backpack, before she and he started moving, leaving Hamish's dead body to be removed via helicopter.

* * *

"I'm bored," Diamond whined, shortly after waking up and eating for breakfast whatever food was in their backpacks (an orange and a tiny bag of nuts). Silver rolled his eyes at his sister stating the obvious, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed the girl from District 9 heading their way. A devious smile appeared on his face. He knew how they were going to pass the time.

"Hey, let's go kill that girl over there," Silver whispered to his sister, pointing to the unsuspecting tribute that was passing by. Diamond giggled and nodded, and the two ran off and hid, waiting to attack.

Lita was walking through the woods, looking around at her surroundings with uncertainty. She startled herself by unconsciously stepping on a fallen branch, but she kept walking. The District 9 female was unarmed and without supplies, her fear driving her from the Cornucopia before the gong sounded. The first thing she did in the arena was flee, leaving the other tributes to fight it out for items. In the case of "fight or flight", Lita was definitely the "flight" type.

Lita was walking for a long time, her stamina half spent. She didn't hear the rustling in the bushes, but she did see the District 1 female as she jumped out from them, an axe in hand and a smirk on her face. Diamond twirled the axe in her hand as she approached Lita.

"Prepare for trouble," she chimed. Lita instinctively started to back away, when she saw another tribute, the District 1 male, step out from behind a tree, carrying his own axe.

"Make it double," he said. Lita gulped, seeing the exact same grin on Silver's face. She stared at them, and they at her, for about a minute, before she turned around and took off running. It was now fight or flight and it was time for Lita to take flight. Diamond and Silver immediately bolted after her, and caught her by Diamond tackling her to the ground. Lita wrestled Diamond off of her and tried to stand, only to be knocked back down by the swing of Silver's axe.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Lita cried. "Stop it! That hurts!" Diamond and Silver had proceeded to take turns slashing at her with their axes, delivering blows to the head, chest, and back. Lita screamed in pain on every strike, with no chance to get away. After several swings each, Lita was a bloodied mess when her cannon went off, signaling she was dead.

"Hey, that was like, kind of fun," Diamond commented, staring down at the District 9 girl's corpse. Silver chuckled as he glanced up at the sky. The District 1 duo watched as a helicopter swooped in to collect Lita's dead body.

"Bye bye District 9," Silver said in a singsong voice, waving at the helicopter as it left the arena and flew away. Diamond laughed as the two walked off, their day off to a good start.

* * *

Darien's eyes fluttered open, staring up at the sky. Darien didn't know what time it was, but he felt like he was waking up around noon. Now that he had found some distance, he needed to find water, so he got up and grabbed his backpack and axe, before he started walking. He walked for almost half a mile when he heard a loud _thud_ behind him. Darien whirled around and saw a giant tree lying on the ground, creating a barrier between the two parts of the woods. Confused, but thinking nothing of it, Darien continued walking, until he heard it again. He turned his head again, and saw the exact same thing: a tree hitting the ground. Then another one. And another one. _What's with all these trees falling…?_ Darien looked up, and sure enough, another tree was coming down. However, Darien's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he saw that this tree was about to fall on him. Instinctively he bolted, narrowly avoiding the fatal impact, and he kept running. He looked back and found that more and more trees were falling behind him, aiming to crush him. He ran faster, leaping over logs and bushes to outrun the trees.

Finally he reached a small lake, with the Cornucopia in the distance, and decided to stop there. He sighed with relief when he realized that the trees had stopped falling and trying to kill him. He peered around at the trees to make sure they were going to stay put from now on, when he noticed a camouflaged blob curled up on a branch of a tree at the entrance to the woods. _What is that?_ Darien gingerly inched closer to the tree, squinting his eyes for a better look, and he soon recognized the blob. It was his district partner, Ariani.

Ariani was still asleep, sprawled out across the lowest branch on the tree. She was mostly hidden by her black sleeping bag and the surrounding branches, but upon a closer look could anyone see past the camouflage and find her face. She slowly started to stir, but she was still half-asleep. She tossed and turned, and out of the tree she fell.

It wasn't a long way to the ground, so aside from a bruised bottom, Ariani remained unharmed. The fall did manage to startle her awake, however. So did the loud, pounding footsteps behind her. Now awake and alert, Ariani quickly turned her head, and standing behind her, towering over her like Godzilla, was the brute from District 4.

Ariani gulped, her pupils dilating and sweat dripping from her head as she gazed up at Cyrus, who was staring back at her with wild eyes and a psychotic grin. Ariani screamed as Cyrus let out a menacing growl, raising his sword to attack.

Darien cringed, taking cover behind two bushes as he heard Ariani scream. He almost had the chance to team up with his district partner, but as much as he wanted to help her, he knew that he was no match for Cyrus, and that both she and he would be dead in minutes. So he had no choice but to keep himself concealed and watch as Cyrus brutally slaughtered Ariani, slicing open her chest and stomach, practically dismantling her like he did to a dummy back in training. It had gotten so gory that Darien even covered his eyes while Cyrus delivered the final blow, slitting Ariani's throat. Darien didn't need to keep watching to know that she was dead. All he needed to hear was Cyrus's triumphant laughter as he proudly stormed off. Darien was relieved that Cyrus never noticed him, but he instantly felt guilty when he heard the cannon fire. He knew he should have helped her, even if he did die in the process, and who knows, maybe he could have strong enough to beat Cyrus. It was too late now though. A helicopter was flying into the arena to collect Ariani's corpse.

Darien peeked out from behind the bushes, and once Cyrus was out of sight he emerged from his hiding spot and walked up to his district partner's body, which was now barely recognizable with all the blood covering it. He stared down at her with sad eyes, shaking his head at himself and letting out a deep, heavy sigh.

"Bye Ariani," Darien said, before turning and running off into the woods again, leaving Ariani's body to be taken away by the helicopter.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Tag Teaming It

Oliver was climbing down from a tree he had slept in, rejuvenated by a good night's sleep. His hope of survival may not have been renewed, but his energy was at least, so now he just needed to find some food. The arena's temperature had decreased, and Oliver shivered as a cold breeze dropped down his spine. He wandered aimlessly through the arena until he found a bush that bore bright colored berries on it. After checking them and confirming that they weren't poisonous, Oliver plucked a few of them from the bush and ate them. He thanked his stars that he found a decent food source, after failing to snag anything from the Cornucopia due to the threat of the District 4 brute. Oliver finished eating and was ready to move on, when he heard a female voice behind him.

"Hey you!"

Oliver whirled around, and standing behind him was Regan, the girl from District 2. She was storming up to him with a spear in her hand. Oliver's eyes widened. How long had she been standing there? Probably not for very long, otherwise he'd be dead.

"Get over here," she said, her mouth curled up in a devious smirk while her eyes glowered at the scrawny District 3 male. Oliver screamed and started running. Without missing a beat Regan chased after him, pursuing him for about a mile before Oliver grew tired and started to slow down, allowing Regan to catch him. Oliver turned and raised his arms in defense as Regan readied her spear.

"Wait, stop! Don't kill me! Please!" Oliver cried, as Regan drew closer menacingly. "What about…what about that guy from your district?" Regan paused, suspiciously raising her eyebrow at him.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" she questioned, taken aback by Oliver's random mention of Caius. He was still on her mind of course, but she wondered why he could possibly be on this outlier's mind.

"That guy Caius. You know, your district partner," Oliver answered, giving Regan an expectant look. "Aren't you looking for him?"

"Uh, yeah, maybe I am," Regan replied curtly. "So what? That's none of your business."

"He went that way!" Oliver blurted out, pointing in a random direction. "If you go now, you can still catch up with him." Regan stopped to consider it, Oliver shaking in his shoes as her eyes bore into his head. After a moment of contemplation, Regan reluctantly but swiftly lowered her spear.

"All right, fine," Regan said to him, taking a step back. "I'll let you go this once, but I'll be back, and next time you won't be so lucky." With that, Regan turned and ran off in the direction Oliver pointed to, and once she was out of sight he breathed a huge sigh of relief. That was the way to cheat death at the hands of a Career. Oliver also ran away, quick to head in the opposite direction before Regan changed her mind and came back to kill him.

* * *

"I'm bored!"

"You're always bored!"

"I'm tired!"

"You're always tired!"

"I need more people to kill!"

"You always need more people to-oh, wait…"

Pause.

"I'm hungry!"

"Stop complaining you annoying bitch! God!"

Diamond and Silver continued walking through the woodsy part of the arena after brutally killing the District 9 female. It was long before noon, and Diamond was already on edge due to her trivial discomforts. Silver figured she probably missed being pampered in the Capitol or even at home. Plus she was never a fan out of the outdoors. Not that he was either, as he far preferred their plush sofas and his water bed than the sod and stars, but he could at least manage to put up with it, unlike his bratty, diva sister. God, she was so annoying.

"Oof! Ow!"

Silver looked down and noticed that Diamond had tripped on a large stick and was now laying face-down in the dirt. She looked kind of funny, so instinctively he pointed at her and laughed at her expense, while she grumbled and cursed under her breath as she pushed herself to her feet. Silver's laughter eventually subsided, when he heard a strange buzzing sound behind him. He turned around, when he caught a glimpse of a giant tracker jacker nest making its way to the ground.

"Uh oh," he muttered, followed by a gulp.

"What?" Diamond asked while dusting herself off. That's when the nest hit the ground and broke open.

"It's a Gamemaker trap!" Silver cried, his eyes flashing with fear. "Run!" Diamond turned her head right as hundreds of tracker jackers burst out of their fallen nest, forming a venomous, threatening cloud. The District 1 duo quickly bolted for the lake, screaming their heads off and flailing their arms about.

"Where's the lake?! Where's the lake?!" Silver yelled, fighting to outrun the tracker jackers. "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LAKE?!" The two of them were panting and wheezing as they kept running, the sudden exertion of their legs draining their energy fast. They were a good few feet ahead of the tracker jackers, until Diamond slammed face-first into a tree. Diamond caught up with her brother, but the mutated wasps closed in on them. Diamond and Silver ran faster, but they couldn't shake the tracker jackers. Finally the lake was in sight. With another burst of energy, Diamond and Silver sprinted through the rest of the woods and dove head first into the lake. The two siblings coughed and spat out water as their heads popped up on the surface.

"Bleh…ugh…phew!" Diamond sighed, pulling her sopping wet hair off her face. "That was close. Glad that's over." Diamond looked up and saw the cluster of tracker jackers hovering over them. "…Oh." She and Silver took a deep breath before their heads disappeared underwater again. When they resurfaced, the tracker jackers were flying away, and the siblings breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Okay it's over," Silver said, and they climbed out of the lake.

* * *

Darien wandered aimlessly through the woods, still silently grieving over Ariani's death. Even though there was nothing he could have done, he couldn't shake the guilt because of how he stood by and watched Cyrus kill her. Darien hoped the guilt wouldn't be too much for him to bear; after all, he still needed to survive the arena. He imagined how much worse he would have felt if Ariani had known he was there, and while that wasn't the case the thought made him feel worse.

Darien sighed. What did his district think of him for it? Were they understanding of the situation and just glad that they still had one tribute left, or was his cowardice too unforgivable? He knew he didn't stand a chance against the District 4 brute, but he wondered if he should have at least tried. Maybe he would have gotten lucky and landed a fatal blow, but even if he didn't and was killed as well at least it wouldn't be on his conscience.

At least he was still alive. His life was all he had in the arena.

It suddenly grew windy and Darien could hear loud whirring sounds. He looked up to see a helicopter flying by, darkening the sky with its huge shadow. Darien wondered what the helicopter was doing in the arena, as he didn't see any dead tributes today. He peered around the area, when he glanced down and saw a dead body lying next to his feet. He recognized it as the girl from District 4. He was curious as to how she died, when he noticed the poisonous berries in her hand. _I guess she skipped the survival stations at training…_ The girl hadn't turned cold yet, so he figured that she must have died only a while ago. Darien checked her for any weapons or any other useful supplies, but she was unarmed save for a yellow backpack. Darien searched the backpack and found an empty water container and a funky pair of night vision sunglasses. Approving of the backpack's contents, Darien grabbed it and stored his axe inside it, before slinging it over his shoulder along with the pack he took during the bloodbath. The weight of the second pack showed no signs of wearing him down as Darien sidestepped the girl's slightly decaying corpse and watched the helicopter collect it, before disappearing from the arena.

"Well, another one down," Darien said to himself, when he saw a tiny plastic pot tied to a silver parachute slowly descending from the sky. He watched it gently float down to the ground, and he blinked in surprise when it landed on his feet. "Is this…is this for me? Really? I wonder what it is." Darien bent down and picked it up, and opened it to find a few strips of beef inside. "Oh, wow. Food. Awesome." Without hesitation he devoured the tiny meal sent to him. "Thank you sponsors," he said with a mouth full of food.

* * *

"What should we do now?" Aeris asked as she and Naoko were walking back to their little base camp.

"I don't know," Naoko replied, stifling a yawn. "I'm hungry though." Naoko and Aeris had been exploring the arena all morning and decided to return to their camp to eat some lunch. The two girls sat down on a giant log and Naoko began digging through one of their packs, before pulling out a pack of crackers and passing them to Aeris. Aeris began munching on the crackers, when Naoko gave her a few beef strips before eating the rest. Aeris accepted those as well and in turn handed her ally a handful of crackers.

"Wouldn't it be cool if sponsors gave us a giant picnic?" Aeris said as they ate. Naoko smiled and nodded.

"Oh my gosh, yes," she answered wistfully. "That would be nice." As the girls chatted about the stuff they'd seen so far and stuff they wished they had, a silver parachute with a small pot attached to it sailed to the ground, heading for their makeshift living space. They noticed the parachute coming to them as it landed in Naoko's lap. "Oh, wow, a sponsor gift!" Naoko exclaimed, untying the parachute from the container. "Cool!" Aeris leaned in to see it, her eyes brightened with delight.

"It's a bit small for them to fit a whole picnic in there," Aeris joked. Naoko laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it is," the District 11 girl replied, opening the container. "All right, let's see what we've really got here…"

"Naoko, look out!" Aeris cried. Without hesitation Naoko pushed herself off the log and dove to the ground to duck. An axe flew past their heads and buried itself in the log, right where Naoko was just sitting. Aeris gaped at the axe in shock, while Naoko gasped and looked up. Meeting Naoko's gaze was Aimee and Kelilyn, the girls from Districts 3 and 5, and with weapons in hand they started to advance on them.

"Uh oh," Naoko muttered.

"I got the weapons!" Aeris ran around the log to avoid their new enemies and handed Naoko her throwing knives. Naoko clambered to her feet and started throwing them while Aeris pried the axe from the log and began exchanging blows with the District 3 girl. Naoko threw one of her knives at the girl from 5, who dodged and counterattacked with another axe. Naoko held up her other knife to shield herself, and upon impact with it the axe dropped to the ground. The District 11 female picked up the axe before hurling her remaining knife at Kelilyn, who charged at her with a third axe in hand. The axe lightly grazed Naoko's arm, but her knife buried itself in Kelilyn's chest, and she dropped dead instantly. Meanwhile, Aeris had landed a few lucky shots, and Aimee now had shoulder and leg wounds. With one final slash, Aeris slit Aimee's throat, and her opponent too went down.

"Yay! We did it!" Aeris cheered, running over and hugging Naoko. Naoko grinned and returned the hug, and they started jumping up and down jubilantly while two cannons fired.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Fired Up

After wandering through the arena for a few hours, exploring their surroundings and searching for other tributes to kill, Diamond and Silver have set up a new camp by the lake they used as refuge from the tracker jackers. The winds went away, so it started to warm up in the arena, though not by much. They were tired, hungry, and ready to end the day. They dumped their stuff on the ground and were about to sit down for dinner, when they noticed something silver glistening in the sunlight as it drifted in the sky. They stopped and stared at it, squinting their eyes for a better look to try and figure out what it is. They stood there and watched it float to the ground, wondering about it until they could actually see it.

It was a little silver parachute, with an even smaller pot attached to it. When it appeared in view, the siblings realized that the parachute was heading their way. Their eyes brightened with excitement as it drew closer, and they started jumping up and down, reaching up to catch it. With one big leap, Silver grabbed the parachute and pulled it down.

"All right! My first sponsor gift!" Silver exclaimed happily, when Diamond snatched the parachute away from him.

"Uh, no. I'm like, pretty sure that thing's totally for me," Diamond said, starting to open the little pot. "I mean, like, duh." Before she did, however, Silver took it back.

"No way, Diamond! It's definitely for me," Silver argued, tearing open the pot while discarding the parachute. "Why would anyone be sending you sponsor gifts?" Diamond angrily ripped the pot out of Silver's hands.

"Because I'm special," she answered haughtily. "Why would anyone send _you_ anything?"

"Because I'm awesome!" Silver protested, pushing Diamond and seizing the sponsor gift for himself. Diamond gave him a harder shove, taking the sponsor gift from him before he fell to the ground. Diamond broke open the pot and searched through it, before finding something. Silver clambered back to his feet in time to see Diamond pull out a small pack of crackers. They glanced at the crackers for a minute, then at each other for another moment, before Diamond rolled her eyes and shoved the crackers into her brother's hands.

"Here, it's for you, dork," she muttered, bending down to search their backpacks for other food. Silver smirked and nodded in approval as he started eating the crackers. Diamond eventually settled for some dried fruit, something she sometimes ate in her salads for lunch back home in District 1. Diamond sat down next to their supplies, with Silver joining her while still grinning victoriously at having gotten the sponsor gift. The sun was going down, so the arena started to grow dark as the pair of siblings silently planned their next move. Diamond mostly could care less, though a part of Silver – one he wasn't quite aware of in that moment – couldn't wait for what would happen next.

* * *

The sun went down, and the stars came out. Caius and Rosemary were sitting by the fire they started, the flames protecting them from the cold. The fire created a small light in the sky, mixing pitch black with a tint of orange. They were lucky they were practically in the middle of nowhere; otherwise the fire would probably call attention to them. Caius had received a small bag of marshmallows as a sponsor gift, so he found two long sticks so that he and Rosemary could roast them.

"If only we had chocolate and graham crackers," Rosemary joked, inching her marshmallow closer to the fire. "Then we'd have smores." Caius laughed as he withdrew his from the flames, pausing to let it cool off.

"Yeah." Caius blew on his marshmallow before eating it, his mouth growing to the size of a blowfish from eating one of the jumbo-sized marshmallows.

"Thanks for sharing by the way," Rosemary said graciously, leaning over to grab another marshmallow. "This is awesome." Caius smiled and blushed.

"You're welcome. Anytime." The two allies repeated the same process for some time, taking marshmallows, placing them on their sticks, and hanging them over the open flames before they were cooked enough to eat. To them it didn't even feel like they were in the Hunger Games right now. They were just two friends hanging out in front of a fire on a cold winter's night, laughing and making small talk over roasted marshmallows. They felt cheerful and at ease, feelings they thought they'd never feel inside the Hunger Games arena (at least not until they won, assuming they did). "I really like you, Rosemary." Rosemary blinked in surprise, her ears perking up as she turned towards Caius.

"Really? You do?"

"Yeah," Caius answered, nodding confidently. "You're very helpful out here, you're a sweetheart, and you're just really fun to be around." Rosemary could feel herself blush, a rosy tint appearing on her otherwise pale cheeks. She giggled and turned away shyly.

"Aww, thanks Caius. You're sweet," Rosemary said, inching closer and gently resting her head on the District 2 male's shoulder. Caius beamed as he set his stick down and wrapped his arm around Rosemary's shoulder. They stayed like that and let themselves lose track of time, enjoying each other's company. They even ignored the Panem national anthem and the recap of the dead tributes because they were in their own world. Finally Caius lowered his head as he leaned into Rosemary's. He lingered there for several moments before closing the gap and kissing her. Rosemary's cheeks burned as he kissed her, but she returned the romantic gesture, a smile on her face when they eventually broke the kiss.

"We may have just met, but I feel as though I've known you my whole life. Where have you been all my life?" Caius mused. "I love you." Rosemary gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at Caius in shock. But she smiled as he kissed her again.

* * *

Diamond and Silver were working on starting a fire when the national anthem started playing. Diamond was stacking firewood while Silver was trying to light a match, both of them glancing up at the sky every now and then while the faces of the second day's casualties were displayed in the sky. One by one Diamond and Silver caught glimpses of the girls from Districts 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9, as well as the boy from District 12, totaling six deaths on day two. They snickered to themselves when the girl from District 9 appeared, taking a moment to reminisce before continuing on with their tiring work.

"I can't get this stupid match to work," Silver muttered in annoyance, while Diamond ran off to grab more firewood. He ran the match over the box several times, but it produced no flame, so he tossed it behind him, discarding it like he had nearly a dozen others. He pulled out another match and tried again, while Diamond returned with a huge stack of wood in her hands.

"I hate labor!" she complained, dumping the wood with the rest she had gathered. "Especially like, hard labor!" She bent down and started stacking the wood into a neat pile, when Silver finally struck a match successfully. He sighed with relief as he dropped the match onto the pile wood, creating a mini bonfire.

"We got fire!" Silver cheered, as he and Diamond sat down in front of it to warm themselves. They rubbed their hands and held them out in front of the fire, when they jumped at the sound of thunder. They looked up at the sky to see blue and purple flashes of lightning, and that's when it started to rain. Luckily the trees blocked most of the rain from hitting them, but Diamond and Silver looked down to find that the rain had soaked their fire, extinguishing it. The siblings groaned as their fire went out, leaving them only with a pile of soggy wood.

"Aww man," Diamond moaned, pouting in disappointment, her lips starting to turn blue.

"Oh come on!" Silver complained, throwing his arms up in frustration. "That is so not fair! Ugh, stupid Gamemakers." More thunder crashed as it rained harder, as if the Gamemakers were expressing their rage through ominous weather, and Diamond and Silver started to get soaked. Desperate for body warmth, they inched closer and huddled together as they shivered uncontrollably.

"Omigod, it's like, soooooo cold!" Diamond complained, leaning into Silver and resting her head on his shoulder. "Maybe we should like, go to sleep or something."

"In this weather?" Silver asked her incredulously. "Ugh, no way." Despite his thinking, however, Diamond and Silver managed to fall asleep later on, curled up next to each other while the storm raged on. He was still shuddering as he closed his eyes, and Silver knew that he and his sister could probably agree on one thing – it was going to be a long, painful night.

* * *

Regan had been searching the arena for Caius all day, blindly following the path Oliver showed her. She stopped for a break to watch the death toll recap, but she was on the move again. Luckily she wasn't tired, because she didn't want to rest until she found her district partner, and she wasn't going to. Regan didn't know how far she had traveled, but it felt as though she covered at least half the arena. Regan hoped that Oliver was right, more for his sake than hers. Not that it mattered though, since she was going to kill him either way next time she saw him, and it was going to be very satisfying. Oliver just bugged her to no end, not only because he was from an outlying district, but because he was _such a dweeb_. She hated dweebs. A lot.

"Dweeb," Regan muttered under her breath, as the boy from District 3 came to mind. "All right, where is Caius?" She gave up on where Oliver told her to go and turned in another direction. She walked in that direction for some time and miles before she saw flickers of light in the distance. Even if that light didn't lead to Caius, she couldn't help but be curious about it, so she picked up the pace and followed the flickers, pushing past trees and kicking bushes aside. The light grew brighter and hotter as Regan drew closer, and when the smoke reached her nose she recognized the light as fire. Regan grinned. She was either going to find Caius or some wimpy tribute she could kill. "This is great," she said as she pulled back some tree branches. She blinked in surprise, however, when she seemed to find both.

There was Caius, her district partner, sitting by the fire that drew her to his spot. But there was the girl from District 12, sitting by his side, curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. They were talking and laughing as they roasted marshmallows, and Caius even had his arm around her waist. Regan watched them in utter confusion, her eyes widening when Caius pulled the girl closer to him, and her jaw dropped to the ground when she saw them kiss.

Regan stood there in shock for several minutes, before that shock quickly turned to anger. Her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed as she glared at the lovey-dovey pair. The fire reflected in her eyes to match her fury, and her fist was so tight she nearly snapped her spear in half. That was _her _boyfriend that chick was canoodling with! Well, her ex-boyfriend, but her boyfriend nonetheless!

"Oh I see how it is," Regan said through her teeth, unable to take any more of their horribly obnoxious love-fest. _Screw you, Caius… _Angrily she pivoted on her heels and stormed off, leaving her district partner behind. Still not tired, she stormed through the woods with only one thing on her mind.

Revenge.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Rage Kill

Regan spent the night stalking through the woods, huffing and scoffing under her breath while silently sulking. She had no desire to sleep, partly because she had taken a nap in some tree somewhere earlier in the day but mostly because she was too upset over losing Caius to another girl (_and to the girl from District 12, of all people! _She thought to herself).

"How dare her…" Regan fumed as she stomped through the woods. The image of Caius and Rosemary cuddled up by the fire together burned in her mind. "Who does she think she is?! Caius is _my_ district partner _and _my ex-boyfriend. Who is she to think she can just swoop in and steal him from under my nose?! Grr! I'll show her…and I'll show him too! Then afterwards I'll win these Games…" The twigs and stones crunched underneath her feet in her fit of rage, when another sound reached her ears. Regan stopped when she heard a light pitter-patter in the grass, one besides her own. It was another pair of footsteps, and the realization of another tribute nearby instantly put Regan on the alert. Her anger subsided for the time being, she tip-toed through the woods, gliding on her feet and moving through the greenery gracefully and swiftly. With another sound of crunching twigs, she whirled around behind her, and there she found a weary, exhausted Oliver, stumbling around in the dark trying to find his way through the shrubbery his feet were currently entangled in. Regan smiled wickedly and eagerly readied her spear, before creeping over to where he lingered. _Teehee…this is going to be fun… _He never realized she was coming until he saw her face to face.

"Hello Oliver," she greeted him coldly, her devious grin clashing with her icy tone. "It's time."

"O-Oh! Uh…h-hi Regan…" Oliver stuttered nervously, gulping at the sight of Regan's fearsome countenance. "T-Time for what?" With a smooth flick of her wrist Regan impaled Oliver in the chest, removing her spear just as quickly as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Bye Oliver." Regan turned on her heel and sauntered off. Her lips curled upward and she let out an evil giggle as she left to find some water to clean her weapon. Oliver had been completely startled when she appeared before him, but now he looked like a deer in headlights as he was sprawled out across the ground, slowly bleeding out before eventually closing his eyes. Regan wished she had a pair of sunglasses to put on as she left the scene, because she truly took him out like a boss. It was a great away to relieve her anger, too. She was still angry with Caius for replacing her with another girl, and she was still planning on paying him back for it, but for right now she instantly felt better. She walked away with a smirk on her face while he lay there dying, until she heard the cannon boom.

* * *

The next morning, Naoko and Aeris were sitting by their little campfire, munching on a few berries they found in a bush behind their tent. They had just run out of food the previous night, and were now planning to spend the day searching for more to keep themselves replenished.

"So Naoko," Aeris asked, after swallowing a handful of fruit. "Do you think anyone else is going to find us yet?" Naoko pondered this thoughtfully, tapping her chin in thought while her mind started buzzing. Now that Aeris had mentioned it, she really did wonder about their next fight. When would it be and who would it be with?

"Maybe not right this second," Naoko answered, finishing off her berries. "But either today or tomorrow I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into anyone else."

"Hopefully not a Career," Aeris commented, shivering in both fear and from the cold. "I can't believe five out of six of them are still in the game." Aeris' eyes went wide and her body quivered as she remembered a nightmare she had a few nights ago where Lindsey Knucklesworth and Cyrus the brute bludgeoned her to death. She blinked a few times and shook her head as she tried to shake it off. Naoko was too deep in thought to notice Aeris' shaking, her eyes scanning the area they had to themselves.

"I guess that's why they're called Career tributes. They train for this stuff," Naoko replied. "But yeah, running into a non-Career again would be nice." The girls nodded in agreement, when they heard the sound of feet crunching against twigs and grass. "What was that?" The two youngsters listened for it again, and the sound grew louder as it came closer to them. They turned around as a silhouette appeared in the bushes, before someone emerged from them in clear view. It was Darien, the boy from District 8. As soon as they registered his presence and he noticed them, the three of them raised their weapons and entered their own battle stances.

"Let's get him!" Aeris said, when they heard more crunching. "Huh?" Two more pairs of footsteps were heading their way, and the three of them stopped to look around to find who it was. Aeris watched as Darien retreated back where he came from when they saw Diamond and Silver charge through their campsite. Before the girls had a chance to attack, Diamond and Silver hurled their axes at them, Diamond's landing in Aeris' chest and Silver's in Naoko's stomach.

"You lose, suckers! Haha!" Silver taunted them, him and his sister laughing to themselves as they collected their weapons and ran off. Darien had disappeared into another section of the woods, leaving the two young tributes lying on the ground with their big gaping wounds. Naoko cringed in pain as she turned to Aeris, her blood now spilling out to the side.

"Well, Aeris my friend…" the District 11 girl croaked, her body tensed up in pain. "I…I guess this is it for us."

"Y-Yeah…" Aeris replied weakly, curled up in the same position. "It's over…" Feebly the girls crawled an inch closer to each other, when Naoko shakily reached out her hand. Aeris mimicked the gesture and the girls gripped each other's hands, holding on for the dear life that was slipping away from both of them. This was the closest embrace they had, as they were in too much agony to pull each other into any kind of hug, much to both of their sad dismay.

"Aeris…" Naoko said to her ally. "You were the best friend and ally ever. Thanks." Aeris nodded and mumbled a "You too", while a stray tear fell from her eye. Naoko shook her head, refusing to cry. After all, her mother and younger siblings were watching back home.

"I would never have made it this far without you," Aeris spoke up, her voice strained due to the agony of her wound. "I…owe you…"

"And I…you…" Naoko trailed, now losing her own voice. Naoko watched as Aeris' eyes closed while her body collapsed completely, nestled next to her own. Their arms were still linked, though the grip they had on each other's hands gradually lightened. "Goodbye Aeris…best friend…" Naoko forced a weak smile as her own eyes began to close. They fluttered half-open, half-closed, giving Naoko one last look at her ally and friend, before they eventually closed as well.

A giant boom echoed throughout the arena as two cannons fired simultaneously.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rosemary was sound asleep, napping away under a large tree while Caius was out hunting for more food. She was deep in slumber, having finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep after Caius had left minutes ago. She was dead to the world, unable to hear either the sound of quiet footsteps creeping into her and Caius' makeshift camp or the evil cackling of the intruder.

"Well, well," Regan mused aloud, the District 2 female staring down at the sleeping tribute with a glint of mischief in her eye. She looked around for Caius to see if he was coming, but he was nowhere in sight. He was far from camp, leaving Rosemary hanging out by herself, waiting for his return. Regan watched Rosemary's chest rise and fall with each breath she took in as she slept, the sight of the District 12 female aggravating her more with each passing second. Rosemary remained asleep as Regan raised her spear, and still didn't stir when Regan plunged the spear into Rosemary's chest. The moment the sharp point entered her flesh Rosemary's eyes flashed open, mixed with a triad of shock, fear, and pain while she was rendered speechless, too terrified to make any kind of sound. Regan smirked to herself while Rosemary's blue eyes only closed again seconds later. Regan let out a low, dark chuckle as she retracted her weapon from Rosemary's dead body. The cannon that fired then was music to her ears.

"You just lost the Games."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Feast

"Greetings, tributes. You are invited to a feast. Please make your way to the Cornucopia at high noon. That is all."

The remaining six tributes awoke early the next morning to the sound of Lindsey Knucklesworth's voice booming throughout the arena. Spread out all over the arena, the tributes groggily opened their eyes and forced themselves to get up and start another day. Diamond sat up against the tree she was sleeping under and turned to Silver while rubbing her eyes.

"Ugh, I am like, sooooo tired," she said, reaching up to stretch her arms behind her. "What could they possibly have for us at the Cornucopia?" Silver gave a small shrug of his shoulders while stifling a yawn.

"I don't know, Diamond," he replied. "Whatever it is, it better be something good." Silver slowly clambered to his feet, before reaching down and pulling his sister up. They collected their weapons and other belongings they acquired and left their current base camp, starting to make their way to the Cornucopia where surely the other tributes would be joining them. They planned to get there early in hopes of claiming as much of whatever the Capitol was offering them for themselves. When they arrived, they saw a long folding table set up in front of the Cornucopia, with dozens of boxes of pizza stacked up, creating a giant pizza buffet with an assortment of flavors. Some of the boxes were open, allowing the scent to travel quickly to the tributes' noses. "Mmm, that looks good," Silver commented, his mouth watering at the sight and scent of pizza. "I'm going in." Immediately Silver made a break for it, rushing to the table where the pizza party was set up. Diamond hung back for a moment, looking around and watching while the other tributes started showing up. Cyrus jumped down from the Cornucopia and grabbed a box, hungrily devouring it while he stood guard in front of his territory. Diamond could see the boy from District 8 hiding in the bushes behind the Cornucopia, avidly eyeing the pizza as he waited for his chance to swoop in and snag some. Caius had already tip-toed to the end of the table, without Cyrus detecting him much to his fortune, and quickly made off with two slices. He disappeared behind the Cornucopia where he most likely chowed down, looking to avoid combat for the time being.

"Hey, make sure you save some for me, Silver!" Diamond yelled to her brother.

"Okay!" he replied over his shoulder, waving his hand to signal that he had heard her. Finally Silver reached the table, but before he could take some food someone grabbed him from the side, roughly yanking him away from the table and shoving him up against a nearby tree. "Ow! Hey, what the-?!" Silver realized he was face to face with Regan, the District 2 female, as he struggled against her strong grip, when she held up her spear to his throat. "…Uh oh…" Diamond was casually glancing at each of the other tributes, when she saw that the girl from District 2 had her brother pinned against a tree and was about to strike.

"Oh no! Silver!" Diamond cried, running over with her axe at the ready. "Get away from him you wench!" Diamond swung her axe and clocked Regan from behind, the tip of its blade digging into her back. Regan screeched in pain, arching her back and lowering her weapon, freeing Silver from her clutches. Regan turned on Diamond and raised her spear to attack, but Diamond went in and tore into her stomach, the blow nearly knocking Regan off her feet. Regan still didn't get a chance to strike when the District 1 female slashed through her chest, the cut practically slicing her in half. That's when Regan stumbled back and collapsed onto the ground, opening the door for Diamond to deliver the final blow. Silver watched his sister in awe as she swiftly slit Regan's throat, killing her instantly. Regan laid there as her cannon fired, while Diamond took a deep breath as she turned back to Silver.

"Oh my God…" Silver said with a slight gasp in his voice. "You just saved my life. Thank you so much." Silver grabbed his sister by the shoulders and brought her in for a quick hug, before grinning at her and saying, "Come on, let's go get us some pizza." Diamond returned the smile, beaming with pride as she sighed with relief.

* * *

Back home in District 8, Roxanne was sitting on her living room couch, her eyes anxiously glued to the TV. She occasionally gnawed at her fingernails while she nervously watched her boyfriend Darien, who was currently exchanging blows with the boy from District 2. She was proud of her boyfriend for making it this far in the Games, a feat that seemed quite daunting for tributes from District 8, but she constantly worried about him in the arena. Ever since the day he was reaped and shipped off to the Capitol, Roxanne couldn't stop thinking about Darien and desperately prayed for his safe return home, not so much as a victor as much as alive and well. Roxanne eventually forced herself to pull her eyes away from the screen when her mother entered the room, standing directly in front of the TV and thus blocking her view.

"It's okay, Roxanne. Relax," her mother told her comfortingly. "Darien's made it this far in the Games. I'm sure he'll be fine." Roxanne sighed.

"I know, but…I'm just so worried about him, Mom," Roxanne said fretfully, furiously running her fingers through her blonde curls.

"I can understand that," her mother replied with a nod. "But Darien has a chance here. If he stays focused and keeps it up, he could – and will – win this thing. And he'll be back home here before you know it." Roxanne slowly nodded and resumed watching, while her mother joined her on the couch to watch with her.

* * *

After leaving the safety of their hiding, Caius and Darien had simultaneously gone for the pizza buffet, Caius aiming for seconds, Darien only for firsts, when they accidentally bumped into each other. This unintentional encounter had turned into a little skirmish between them, much to the Capitol audience's delight most likely. Darien was too up close for Caius to shoot him with an arrow, so he settled on using his bow as a temporary sword. Wood and metal clashed against one another as Darien and Caius attacked and blocked each other. Diamond and Silver had picked up a few boxes of pizza and ran off with them, but shortly after the boys noticed that Cyrus was grabbing entire stacks of pizza boxes and carrying them off to his Cornucopia castle of sorts. The District 4 male was laughing his head off as he quickly cleared the table, taking all of the pizza for himself. Caius angrily turned on him, pointing at him while he was picking up the last stack of pizza boxes.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Caius yelled at Cyrus. "You can't do that!"

"Yeah, what the hell, man?!" Darien shouted in agreement, also disgusted with Cyrus's piggy behavior. "That pizza was meant for all of us! So lay off, you asshole!"

"Ha! Sorry losers," Cyrus taunted them. "But this pizza is all mine! MINE! Hahaha!" Cyrus claimed the remainder of the pizza and took off, returning to his hideaway at the top of the Cornucopia. With the last of the pizza stolen away, the table was now empty, the Capitol having nothing more to give. Caius and Darien stood there staring at the now pizza-less table for several moments, before they heard Lindsey Knucklesworth's booming over the unseen intercom.

"And that concludes the feast for this year's Games. Release the mutts!"

Caius and Darien were pouting and huffing in disappointment at barely having any pizza, when they registered Lindsey's second statement in their heads. The boys from Districts 2 and 8 turned to each other with bemused expressions on their faces, clueless as to what she meant.

"Uh…what did she say about the mutts?" Caius asked. Darien only shrugged. As Caius pondered this aloud, they heard a collective growling noise as a pack of wolf muttations emerged from the trees behind the Cornucopia, their fangs bared as their eyes locked on the two lingering tributes. The mutts stampeded through the Cornucopia, charging at Caius and Darien. The two boys screamed and instantly took off running, splitting off in opposite directions with mutts chasing after them both. Cyrus watched them as the mutts pursued them, laughing heartily while chomping away on his newly acquired pizza. The pizza boxes were set up so that he was surrounded by them, still in their neat stacks, with him eating out of multiple boxes at once.

"I just love good old comedy television," the tyrant from District 4 said, leisurely leaning back and tearing into his fifth slice of pizza.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Finale/Returning Home

The finale had just begun.

All of the remaining tributes were gathering at the Cornucopia once again (with a gentle nudge from the mutts) for one final battle. Cyrus, who had been at the Cornucopia the entire time, made the first move by lunging at Silver, who had just arrived with his sister. Silver sidestepped Cyrus's sword to dodge a blow to his stomach, before lashing out with a swing of his axe. Cyrus ducked to prevent his head being taken off, and then he turned on Diamond. He dove for the District 1 female and tackled her to the ground, before proceeding to impale his sword into her stomach. Diamond screamed and cried out Silver's name as the blade tore into her body, practically sawing through it.

"Diamond!" Silver exclaimed, turning around at the sound of his sister's cry, but she was already dead. Cyrus roared with laughter while her cannon fired, before pivoting around to face Silver again. Silver clenched his fists, glaring at Cyrus with gritted teeth while Cyrus shot him a smug grin. "You…killed my sister," Silver spat, his narrowed eyes boring into Cyrus's head. Cyrus scoffed and shrugged it off.

"That's the name of the game, bro," the District 4 male retorted. That's when Silver snapped. With a loud battle cry he charged at Cyrus at swung his axe at him, cutting into his chest. Cyrus lunged at Silver again, only for the axe to slice his throat. Cyrus's eyes widened at this last blow, and he dropped to the ground, slumped over in a pool of his own blood. Silver haughtily crossed his arms, staring down at Cyrus's dead body at smiling in satisfaction when he heard a second cannon fire.

"There," Silver said, dusting himself off. "That takes care of him. Good riddance. Now, only two other tributes to go." Speaking of which, an arrow shot through the air, flying out of nowhere, and landed next to Silver's foot. Silver yelped in surprise and stepped back when he saw the arrow hit the ground. "Where did that come from?" he wondered aloud. He turned to look around the Cornucopia, but there were no tributes in sight. He pivoted around, casting a glance on the giant golden structure, when another arrow emerged from the horn's mouth. "Holy crap!" Silver exclaimed, jumping to the side to dodge the second arrow, which landed on the ground a few feet behind him. Silver stepped forward to peek inside the Cornucopia, now completely sure that someone was in there, and that was when a third arrow shot through the air and pierced his chest. Silver gasped and stumbled back, looking down and watching the blood pour from his gaping wound. His eyes widened as he dropped to the ground, coughing and sputtering, when he heard a pair of footsteps trod through the grass. Silver looked up and saw Caius leaving the Cornucopia, before he closed his eyes and fell over to the side, his cannon firing shortly after. Caius peered down at the District 1 male's lifeless body, when he heard rustling in the bushes behind the Cornucopia. The District 2 male whipped his head around and saw Darien emerging from the shrubbery, the same way he arrived for the feast. The two instantly locked eyes as Darien arrived on the scene, before the District 8 male glanced down and noticed Silver lying on the ground, dead.

"What happened to this guy?" he asked, nudging the District 1 male with his foot, turning him over to scrutinize his corpse.

"I killed him," Caius replied flatly.

"Of course," Darien retorted sarcastically. "And let me guess; now you have to kill me?"

"Yes, I am going to kill you now," Caius responded, with a dark chuckle. "After all we can't all live." Swiftly he pulled out an arrow, his second to last one, and prepared his bow, aiming for Darien's head. Darien sighed and shook his head, readying his axe in anticipation for battle.

"I guess we'll have to fight now," the District 8 male said, and the fight began with Darien taking a step forward to swing at Caius. Caius reflexively held up his bow to block the incoming attack, forcing him to stop his aim. He blocked Darien's second attack and thrust his bow into his opponent to force him backwards. Darien decided to take another shot, and while Caius held up his bow in defense again, Darien slipped his axe through it to slash at Caius's hand, slicing his palm open. Caius yelped in pain and dropped the bow, and Darien lifted his leg up and kicked Caius in the chest, sending him flying backwards and tumbling to the ground.

"Oof! Ugh, ow," Caius muttered when he landed flat on his back, a loud _thud_ rippling through the grass. With another stride Darien was towering over Caius, overpowering him with his axe looming over his head. Both of them were breathing heavily, with dirt and sweat outlining their faces and blood trickling out of their arms from small cuts they've gotten throughout their time in the arena. They each had their own expression of determination, but after staring each other down Caius' softened, as he looked up at Darien sullenly. "Go ahead," he said to Darien, who blinked at him in surprise. "Do it. At least…I'll get to be with her." Caius was heartbroken when he returned from his hunt to find Rosemary slain, and he was completely distraught when he learned that it was his ex and district partner Regan who completed the kill. He may have wanted to avenge her death and win for her, but on the other hand, it wouldn't be worth it if he still had to live without her. That was something that Caius couldn't bear.

Darien nodded and raised his axe, bringing it down on Caius' chest. Darien continued hacking away at Caius' body until he was no longer moving. With the boom of one final cannon, it was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the victor of the 2nd annual Hunger Games – Darien Shinoko from District 8!"

Darien sighed with relief, running a hand through his hair while he caught his breath. He did it. He won the Games. He was still alive. Now if he could get out of here…

A whirring sound caught in his ears, and he looked up to see a helicopter descending into the arena. The door to the aircraft opened and a rope ladder dropped down next to Darien, as if beckoning to him to come. Darien obliged and grabbed hold of the ladder, climbing up until he was safely pulled inside the helicopter by a couple of Capitol attendants. Once Darien was inside the aircraft the door closed, and the helicopter took off into the sky once more, removing Darien from the arena now that the Games were over.

* * *

Darien stood on a grand stage, having him been lifted up from below along with his prep team, stylist, and escort, with cheering from the Capitol audience ringing in his ears. He was decked out in a black suit with a royal blue blouse and white tie, with black leather shoes to match. President Coriolanus Snow Sr. walked over to Darien and placed a gold crown on his head.

"Congratulations, Darien," President Snow Sr. said, adjusting the crown to make sure that it fit the new victor's head perfectly. "You fought well." Darien nodded and shook the president's extended hand.

"Thank you sir." Darien's eyes were hit with multiple flashes while Capitol photographers were advancing towards the stage to get their photo ops of him with the president. Darien was then escorted to the victor's chair, a tall, plush throne, where he sat to watch the highlights of the Games.

* * *

The next day, still in his black and blue suit (because his stylist told him it looked great on him), Darien and Lindsey were sitting in the interview host's red leather chairs. Lindsey was dressed in a flashy red suit with a gold belt and matching heels, with her hair neatly pulled off her face and tied in a fancy, ornate bun. They were sitting on the same stage as they had for interviews, only there were only a few cameramen recording, and no live audience to give reactions, none of which had Darien was concerned with. He was happy to do this interview because it validated for him that he was the victor and would be returning home to District 8, a fact that still felt surreal to him.

"So Darien." Darien looked up at Lindsey, startled by the sudden sound of her voice. He didn't realize that the interview had started yet, so he wasn't as quick to respond as usual. "You started out as one of 24 tributes, coming to us from District 8, faced with some tough competition, and you've left the arena a victor. How are you feeling right now?" Darien hesitated for a moment, still taken aback by Lindsey diving right into her questions, but he collected his thoughts to find the right words he wanted.

"I'm good. It's a great feeling," Darien answered, a small smile creeping onto his face. "It's great to be alive!" Lindsey laughed, genuinely amused by his response.

"Not only alive, but a champion of these Games," Lindsey told him, reaching over and patting him on the back. "Now that's something to brag about."

"Yeah, that's definitely cool too," Darien replied with a hearty chuckle. "But no, I'm really just looking forward to going home and seeing my family, my friends, and especially seeing Roxanne. I've missed her so much, and I miss all of my family."

"That's great, Darien," Lindsey said, smiling and nodding at his every word. She signed off and cued the camera crew to take them off the air, and Darien was free to go.

* * *

Later on, the train pulled into the station of District 8, and Darien disembarked, finally home. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of District 8 citizens, his mother and girlfriend in the middle. They were beaming with pride, and they smiled at them from down below, Roxanne's smile being from sheer joy and his mother's partly from relief. Roxanne was jumping up and down, her curls bouncing with every step while she clapped her hands with glee. Seeing their faces made Darien's heart soar. He had worked so hard in training, tried his very best in the arena, just so he could come home and see them again. Darien hopped off the steps of the train station to greet the crowd, his fellow District 8 folks. Roxanne pushed her way through the crowd until she emerged from the front, before eagerly running over to Darien and leaping into his arms. Darien smiled and welcomed her in a tight embrace, both of them refusing to let go for a whole five minutes.

"I've missed you," he said into her ear, resting his head on hers.

"I've missed you too!" she replied happily, hugging him even tighter if possible. Eventually Darien turned around and started for home, with Roxanne on his arm and the crowd of his neighbors following him through the streets, forming a simple, makeshift procession.

"Oh, Darien, I am so happy for you," Roxanne told him, her eyes lit up with excitement. "You're going to be moving into the Victor's Village!" Darien was grinning from ear to ear, his cheeks burning a tomato hue from the sound of his girlfriend's sweet, chipper voice. They turned a corner and entered the neighborhood in which he currently lived, when he noticed a Peacekeeper lingering in front of a tiny tailor shop. Darien squinted his eyes for a better look, and upon a closer inspection recognized the Peacekeeper as his father, his father who abandoned him long before his birth. He watched Darien with a cold, hard look in his eye, one that burned with envy and disapproval. Darien rolled his eyes and kept walking without any further acknowledgement. Darien didn't care about him. He was just another piece in the games. Not the Hunger Games, but the games of life.

**The End.**


End file.
